Anglerfish
by Yalens
Summary: Alex knew his mission, which he had assigned himself. He hadn't known until recently that his fields had born him fruit. He would lure in his prey with bait, like an anglerfish, and take his captive. After all, what are offspring but tools? Romance is present later on but won't dominate the plot.
1. Chapter 1: Phantom on the Mind

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_**-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-**_ANGLERFISH_**-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-**_

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This takes place just after Golden Sun: Dark Dawn finishes, and it may not necessarily be consistent with whatever occurs in any sequel that (hopefully) comes out.

Also, there is a lot of time spent on character development, mainly in the early chapters, because I felt the real game lacked that, especially towards the end… Please be patient. The plot _will _get moving, I promise.

So… read, and please review! Constructive criticism is welcome. I actually haven't had anyone look at it but myself yet, so I'd really, really, _really_, appreciate it .

CHAPTER 1: PHANTOM ON THE MIND

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_**Evening**_

Alex landed on the ground softly, after his long drop from the Tuaparang airship. He knew his mission, which he had assigned himself. The Empyror surely wouldn't mind. After all, this could only help their aims. The Empyror didn't tell his agents _how _to do their missions, he only insisted that they accomplish their goals, however they deemed best. The river before him was stained red with the sunset. So were the waters of the Ayuthay capital.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_Late evening in Ayuthay's royal dining hall_

"This food is really good! Thanks for having us, Amiti!" said Rief in between bites. It was about the hundredth time one of the pair had thanked him for the food.

"No problem…" he muttered.

Amiti was annoyed. Not at Rief, Rief was his friend. He was irked by the endless exchange of redundant pleasantries that always occurred in Uncle Paithos' court. Though he also enjoyed the company of Rief and Kraden, the main reason he had twisted his uncle's arm to invite the pair to stay was that they had information he wanted- that he felt he _needed._

"Rief… What do you know of that man… Alex, the one you called the traitor back at the Apollo Sanctum?" asked Prince Amiti, rather abruptly.

"Wow, that was abrupt", Rief said, still smiling.

Even after everything that had happened, all he could think about was that mysterious man over and over again. It haunted him. _WHY_?

Rief seemed know the most, but Amiti hadn't found the time to ask earlier. After the lighting of the Apollo Lens, and during their stay in Belinsk, he had decided that it was not the appropriate time to ask. There was so much else taking precedence- most importantly Sveta had just lost her only surviving family member (again) and was soon to be crowned Queen of Morgal. Then suddenly he was leaving on Eoleo's ship. And Amiti had watched as first Izumo and then Tonfon and then Champa became dots on the horizon. He just hadn't been able to find a good time to ask. Now might be his final chance- Rief and Kraden would leave tomorrow.

"I'm sorry… I've just been really curious. You know how that is?" Amiti said. He was sure Rief did. "We've finished eating. Would you care to join me in my chamber?" Amiti continued.

He hoped that King Paithos' advisors would forgive him for the "atrocious etiquette" of leaving dinner without being dismissed. Too bad for royal niceties, Amiti thought, but he didn't want this matter becoming the talk of the court, and he had never really gotten used to its stiff atmosphere. Both he and Rief had finished hours ago- typical of the court- and they were supposed to sit around and continue exchanging pleasantries and small talk endlessly.

"Yes, milord Amiti" Rief said politely. Amiti groaned internally. _Not you too…_

_-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-_

_In Amiti's chamber._

Amiti stuck up his nose and puffed out his chest and declared "I, Lord Amiti, Prince of Ayuthay, nephew of his Majesty King Paithos and son of the Miraculous Veriti in my amazing Grace declare that thee, Rief, shall not refer to me as anything but 'Amiti'! Especially not 'milord'!"

Rief almost fell over laughing as Amiti grinned, pleased with himself.

"Phew… geez, Amiti. You guys in the Ayuthay court, you're all so cultured and polite. I feel so unrefined, so out of place there."

"You did fine, you didn't stick out in any way. And by the way, I've had the same feeling my whole life. "

"Really? But you're the prince here, and you seem so… I don't know, sophisticated?"

"I get lots of practice." Amiti paused. "But seriously, even King Paithos likes it better when people talk normally, more bluntly, to him. It's so much better to talk to people without all the etiquette crap. But of course, the court and the nobles and most importantly the king's advisors would never accept it, so I have to play along", Amiti replied. It was good to see that he wasn't the only one who second guessed every single thing he said. Rief was lucky. He did not have a royal reputation to protect. Amiti had to always second guess half the things he said and had to beg that he would say everything properly and nobody would turn against him within the court.

"So you wanted me to tell you about Alex, the traitor?"

"Yes, please."

"Alex is my mother's second cousin. Originally he was an apprentice in Imil, with my mother…"

_-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-_

_**Late evening, city outskirts**_

Alex walked up to the Ayuthay gate guards. "Hello," he said cheerfully, "good evening to you."

The guards simply glared at him. "What do you want?" the one on the left asked.

"You will step aside and let me enter the city." Alex commanded, as he began to walk in between them. He saw Ayuthay's famous moat behind them. This was going to be as easy as killing insects. But much more fun.

"You must tell us your purpose if you wish to enter," said the right-side guard.

"I see no need to tell you anything," replied Alex. "I am entering this city."

The two guards pointed their spears at him. "Don't be a fool. We won't hesitate to spear you."

Alex laughed. "Weapons are for those who need them." He clasped the air, and water silently rose out of the moat behind the guards.

"You don't stand a chance. Leave this place immediately", the guard commanded, unaware of the needle sharp icicles forming behind him.

"And if I don't?"

"Your blood will cloud the water."

"Oh, really?" Alex said, and with a swift clench of his fists, the icicles behind the guards impaled them before they had time to react. He chuckled to himself. This was power. No one could control or restrain him. Nothing else mattered.

Alex saw a trickle of blood from the chests of the guards.

"Oh, no, we can't have that. I dislike commotions", he remarked as he proceeded to freeze the bloodstreams of both guards, before silently depositing them in the lake.

Returning to Ayuthay brought back memories. He hadn't known that his fields had born fruit, until recently.

He wondered how well the city served as the capital of a kingdom, as he walked across the moat.

_-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-_

_**Night, Amiti's chamber**_

"…and thus Alex died during the Golden Sun event. Or so we thought", Rief finished.

Listening to Rief tell the tale, Amiti realized how much Rief felt betrayed by Alex. Alex was, after all, Mia's cousin, her kin. Usually, Rief did not voice such strong opinions in these discussions- despite often being involved in the affairs they talked about, Rief seemed to view them as merely intellectual studies, not background to policy making, like Amiti did. Amiti had talked with Rief and Kraden about the affairs and histories of various parts of the continent many times. But for him it was different. He shared their interest, but he always had strong opinions on the issues and sought solutions that suited Ayuthay's interests. This issue, however, was deeply personal for Rief. It was as if it had been him, not his mother, who had been betrayed. Rief felt his mother's emotions. Amiti wondered what that was like, to have a mother to care for.

"And this is the same man as that Arcanus, who manipulated and used us…" _That man who made Ryu Kou unleash that horrible tower that caused so much death and destruction._

"Yes. _Him_", Rief said with disgust.

Amiti sat quietly, thinking for some time.

He was struck with a memory, of when the group was in the Kolima Forest… the Divine Tree God Tret had said that, like Rief, he possessed "Mia's aura". He did not think that the tree god, in all his years of boundless wisdom, could be wrong. This meant he must be among Mia's relatives.

And yet, most of Rief's relatives were bound to Imil. He doubted that he would possess very much of "Mia's aura" if they were only distantly related… but that would mean the most likely candidate for his father was…_No…_

Amiti didn't want to contemplate that horrible possibility, but couldn't stop his train of thought. Alex was a monster… Amiti realized that he had so many hopes for finally discovering who his father was: that he hopefully was an admirable person, who had not abandoned Amiti by any choice of his own. The concept that it could be Alex smashed all these hopes like a hammer.

What would that mean? Tentacles of dread wrapped around his brain, pulling him down into an abyss of fear. Did he have the same traits as Alex that caused Alex to become the person he was, who sacrificed millions of people to monsters to get power? Would he develop into… that sort of person, someone… some_thing_ like Alex?

Amiti finally stopped himself. There was no reason to believe such a horrible idea. After all, Alex's only love was power. Admittedly, Amiti barely knew the man, but he was completely sure of this fact: Alex was incapable of human love.

And after all, when Tret sensed "Mia's aura" in him, could that not just be because, like Mia (_…and Alex…_) he was a water adept? There were plenty of water adepts all across Weyard… Surely.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice.

"Hey, Amiti, thanks a lot for having us, but we really have to go now to pack up. It's getting deep into the night, and we're leaving tomorrow morning. Have a great life if I never see you again….. Please respond so that we know you're still alive, geez."

Amiti looked up and saw Rief standing next to Kraden.

"Whoa… where'd you come from, Kraden?" he asked, startled.

"He's been here for quite a while actually. We've been trying to get your attention, but you were in a sort of trance…" Rief said, almost apologetically.

"Gosh… I'm so sorry for being such a bad host." Amiti mumbled almost lifelessly. He was going to get a protracted earful from the king advisor's, but much more troubling things were on his mind.

"Far from it, the food was absolutely scrumptious!" replied Kraden.

"It was no problem for me at all. Well, I suppose you'd best be off then… farewell." Amiti said, trying to muster a graceful smile.

As the two turned and began to leave, Amiti suddenly realized he had a question he must ask.

"Wait!" he cried out.

The two turned around, with rather startled expressions on their faces. Amiti realized he had just shouted.

"My apologies for that…. outburst…..ahm…..Kraden… about… uh, Aaah…ah… "

Amiti couldn't get the question out. He was afraid of the answer. Kraden was looking at him patiently. He tried to gather his courage.

"Erm…. What do you know about… uh… Piers. You know, after the whole Golden Sun event? I was just really curious, and I thought I might never get an answer after you left."

"Well, he loved sailing the sea, so he traveled all around for the most part. He stayed in his beloved home in Lemuria for a couple years at a time between voyages."

Amiti looked up hopefully. Piers had travelled all around the world… maybe Alex wasn't his father after all. _Maybe…_

"Do you know if, for some reason, he would have to hide his identity and take off from places without warning? Was there something he was ever running from or something like that?"

Uncle Paithos had told him that Veriti's lover had had to leave suddenly, and that he really regretted it. His father had loved her very much (something Amiti was sure Alex couldn't do).

_A good reason for leaving an unborn son fatherless… and not coming back when that son's mother died, leaving him all alone…_

"He's not your father, Amiti." Rief said.

Had Amiti really made himself that obvious?

"Piers can't have children."

"It's a trait a large number of Lemurians have, for some reason unknown to me", Kraden explained. "In the long run, it may actually benefit Lemuria. If all Lemurians were completely fertile, they would reproduce much faster than people died, given the long Lemurian lifespan.…

"…Before long, the isle would be flooded by too many people for its natural resources to support."

Amiti's heart sunk.

"I still don't know who my father is myself", Rief said consolingly. "He and my mother had separated somehow- I know not how- before I was born. She never talked of him and got emotional whenever Nowell or I asked…"

Amiti had never known this. He never would have guessed.

"…well, what I mean is, don't work yourself up about it. If you learn one day, it'll be when you least expect it. Until then, it's not worth it."

Amiti realized what a horrible host he was being. "Thanks a lot," he said," that really makes it better." He tried to sound convincing. He saw the pair weren't convinced.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rief asked.

"Don't worry about me. I just need sleep… and so do you two. I won't hold you up any longer. You'd best prepare for tomorrow. Goodbye, and fare well in life…" he said weakly, and then he was consumed by his thoughts again. Before he knew it, they were gone.

_-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-_

_Streets of Ayuthay, night._

As they were walking back from the palace, Rief was sure Amiti was _not _okay. Amiti was an expert at putting up the front of the emotionless, cultured prince. Perhaps it came from living in that stiff court. But he couldn't hide it at all earlier.

"Kraden? Do you think we could pay one last visit to Amiti to say a final goodbye?", he asked.

"You want to see how he's doing?"

"Good minds think alike." Rief replied, half-smiling.

Kraden let out a short laugh. "We will, then." And then they were silent.

_-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-_

_Ayuthay hotel_

Later that night, Rief lay awake on his bed, unable to go to sleep. The return of the Alchemy Well wasn't only good, he figured. All the water around could make the place dreadfully humid.

Rief was certain that something else was up, besides Amiti's unknown parentage. The latter was a serious issue, but he didn't think it would cause Amiti to act like that. Why, then?

As if to answer his question, his eyes were pried open by a sharp light. Above him stood a tall man, cloaked in a black robe. His face was clear, though, illuminated by the light coming from his hands. He eyes were struck by the sight of a familiar, masked face peering down at him. Blue locks fell down towards his face.

The light went out. Rief felt strong hands clasp his throat.

_-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-_

To be continued… next- Chapter 2: Phantom in the Night.

And again... reviews would be really nice :)


	2. Chapter 2: Phantom in the Night

Some notes before reading:

1. This chapter features large blocks of character development, but as I'm sure you'll know by the time you finish reading it, the plot picks up at the end.

2. While Ayuthay's crisis with Bilibin was inspired by current events, it _wasn't based on them_. Neither country's situation is intended to seem like that of any real-life country. As for Amiti's views on the issue, they're only here for character development (and based on his canon worldviews, such as on pirates). Though I might revive it later, it probably won't be important to the plot, so don't feel bad about skimming it if you're here for the action.

3. Remember to review. I really like reviews.

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CHAPTER 2: PHANTOMS IN THE NIGHT

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_**Deep in the night, Ayuthay hotel**_

Rief knew the face peering down at him – and hated it.

"Wakey, wakey", that scum cooed.

Rief struggled to get up, but was pinned down. He tried to cry for help, but Alex's hand was grasping his throat, and nothing came out.

"Relax. I could have killed you easily by now. I don't intend to do you any harm."

_Sure you don't, that's why you're pinning me down and strangling me... wouldn't you just let me breathe? _

He struggled and thrashed, but Alex's iron grip only strengthened.

"Now if you'll only listen to what I have to say…"

_How can I listen? I need to air to stay alive! Let me breathe!_

"I will let you breathe," Alex said, as he loosened his grip, while still maintaining the position of his hands.

Rief breathed in, feeling almost grateful. _Maybe I can free myself, slowly…_ he thought.

"However", Alex said, with a twinkle in his eyes, "you won't want to squirm. I will notice any movement, no matter how small."

_Is he actually reading my mind? _

"And" he continued, "I will confiscate your breath again if you resist me."

_There must be some way… I can't just surrender like this._

"I can put you through a world of pain… but if you hear me out, I will leave you in peace."

Rief decided to just let Alex say his spiel. Alex had all the power in this situation. He had control of Rief's breathing. There was no point in resisting.

Alex took a long breath, like he was disciplining a misbehaving child.

"I came to bring to you a message: you will find me at the base of the highest peak in the land of the white doe."

_What the heck sort of riddle was that?_

"Now, sleep, boy", Alex said. Rief felt a sharp tap on his skin, and then it went black.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Deep in the night, Amiti's chamber**_

Amiti laid in his bed, awake. The heat and humidity weren't the problem; heavy slabs of stone weighing down on his mind were.

He had to stop thinking about that same thing, over and over again, if he wanted to get any sleep at all. _Anything but this._

Amiti decided that this had been a major day in his life- it marked the end of his time with his adept friends. It had flown by, and it had probably been the best time he had ever had… and would ever have.

He remembered clearly the day he had first met them, when they had entered the city with Baghi's tree flute (_that had also been the day Uncle told me I actually had a father…)_. He had then accompanied them as they searched for the Sand Prince and ventured into the Barai temple. They had laughed with him, fought alongside him, and seen him as a peer. It was so much unlike life as prince of Ayuthay, and so much better. He hadn't wanted to part with them. Once he had obtained the Insight Glass, he had searched frantically for reasons to extend their time together. It was a fortunate coincidence that they needed his Insight ability for their quest, which did indeed serve Ayuthay's interests in no small way. Even then, Uncle didn't seem to approve, leaving him no choice but to threaten to leave without Uncle's blessing. Amiti wondered for a moment why he had been so determined to leave with them.

_It wasn't because I was desperate to be with them_, Amiti thought, though he was very fond of them. In Ayuthay, he had no real peers, and was thoroughly outlandish, given his powers as an adept and his appearance. While his countrymen were dark-skinned with black or brown hair, he had pale skin and his hair was, of all things, _blue. _It wasn't enough to be a good person- a prince had to be flawless. Held to such a high standard, he had to watch his tongue and his behavior at all times, and he never had time to relax. And unlike a commoner, he was forced to speak often, and couldn't withdraw when he wanted. _Some people_, he figured, _are very extroverted and live like that easily, but not me._

Amiti felt like he failed to be the person he was commanded by the court to be. He lacked his uncle's charisma. He stood below average height (and far below average royal height), and had finished growing. Sure, people like Rief thought of him as cultured, but he was incapable of the diplomatic doublespeak of rulers- and his status meant that public attention was always on him, so any gaffe or slip of the tongue he made would never be forgotten.

He always worried that the "love" commoners showered him with was feigned out of fear and deference. At the very least, except for when he had been a small child, it was impossible to interact normally with commoners. They couldn't relate to him when they were preoccupied with repeated bowing. And behind the front of hailing the prince, Amiti had always feared that the commoners despised the court, including himself, for its total disregard of their welfare, especially during the famine.

The noble children also used honorifics when talking to him, but sometimes he heard something else in their voices:. Either jealousy, disdain, or both. Often when walking among them, he swore he heard his name and swore he heard laughter, and he was sure they were laughing at him. It didn't help that when he was younger, the king's advisors often _told him_ that nobles' children laughed at him, trying to make him behave how they preferred him to. As they grew older, this sense of the nobles' children disdaining him vanished, but he figured they had simply grown into mature, treacherous nobles like their parents. Amiti had seen how the nobles smiled and acted like they were the King's most loyal subjects in his presence while plotting how to manipulate him behind his back. Now their children were doing the same with him, he was sure of it. Amiti, in fact, returned their feelings – if they saw him as unworthy, he saw them as stuck-up and corrupt.

The foreign princes and princesses, for their part, were much like nobles, except that instead of jealousy, they treated him with derision, for both him and his kingdom. Relations between rulers' children often also mirrored relations between their countries, and accordingly Amiti's best- and only- friend was Passaj's Baghi. Their countries shared much in common: an Exathi heritage, hostility toward Kaocho, and the derision of larger and/or richer neighboring polities. The two nations considered each other allies or even "brothers". Of course, Amiti thought, he wasn't friends with Baghi just because was from Passaj. They were friends because they were fond of each other. It was comforting to have the rather pudgy and unrefined Baghi around (who admittedly, wasn't technically a 'prince'), because then Amiti wasn't alone in being imperfect.

_That's why I love being with the warriors' children, _Amiti thought. _They don't make me work so hard to be someone I'm not. _He missed them already.

_-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-_

_**Paithos' desk, deep in the night**_

"…but, my king," Genvalis argued, "if we default on our loans from Bilibin, we will forever lose our reputation and will never be able to find future loaners… what happens next time Kaocho invades and we need-"

"Excuse me, my lord", said a palace maid, "the hot bath you ordered is ready."

"Excuse ME," Genvalis uttered, irked, "are you aware that you just interrupted an important strategic geopolitical discussion? I believe your king deserves an apology for your-"

But Paithos cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Thank you very much, Fiaretria. You are dismissed. Your work is done for today", he said.

Fiaretria's downtrodden face broke into a bright smile. Genvalis was appalled.

"Shall I accompany you to your bath, to discuss this essential matter?", he inquired, referring to the loans, which originated from when Ayuthay had urgently needed to borrow gold from Bilibin to pay for war materials (also from Bilibin) during the Kaocho invasion.

"Please. Let us continue our conversation," Paithos said.

"In reality," Paithos resumed, "it isn't even possible to repay Bilibin at present- we don't have enough gold in our reserves."

"Well, then, as I have told you previously," Genvalis responded, "We need to get the money."

Genvalis opened the door to the bath for his king, and continued: "To do this, we should raise taxes, and end any unnecessary uses of funds. We should stop building those roads and aiding irrelevant peasants because…"

Genvalis felt for some reason that Paithos had stopped listening to him. Paithos had better not be ignoring him…

As Genvalis entered the room, he froze in shock at what he saw. The bath had all been drained, and standing where the water should be was a black-cloaked man. Light blue hair, of a similar outrageous shade to Prince Amiti's, fell down from his hood, but his face was completely obscured. In his hand he held a scythe. He looked like death.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Amiti's chamber**_

Amiti tried to think about something positive, to get himself to at last sleep. He thought, _I'm glad Uncle is all better_. Everyone had believed, during the Eclipse, that he had a terminal illness, but once the dark and cold went away, he recovered.

There were many reasons why Amiti feared Paithos dying. Of course, he was Amiti's uncle and also his king. But perhaps more importantly, Amiti was terrified of suddenly having Ayuthay's crown and administration thrust upon him.

Technically, it was possible the crown fall on Paithos' eldest son, Chafko, who was seven years older than Amiti. But the rumors pointed at Amiti, and Amiti dreaded the worst. Besides, Amiti had his doubts about Chafko. It would be best if Paithos just stayed alive.

Despite his 19 years and his travels with the other adepts, Amiti didn't think of himself as an adult. _Because of this pampered lifestyle, if I were to be abandoned in the middle of the city, I don't know if I'd survive, _he thought. How could he possibly rule a kingdom?

One voice in his head argued, _but you travelled all over the continent facing and besting fearsome monsters. _And another voice countered, _and every night you shivered in fear of a surprise attack._ _And__,_the voice added, _you could only fight bravely because you had great warriors by your side. _

He couldn't blame himself, he tried to argue. His childish fears were a result his pampered upbringing. _Another problem of this ridiculous culture the palace has, _he thought.

_But blaming culture for my problems doesn't change the fact that I could become king soon_., he reminded himself. Being king was like walking on a minefield, and he was sure one wrong step could blow him up. _Just one slip…_

And there were so many ways to slip. _Ayuthay faces so many problems, especially now_. The Grave Eclipse had devastated the rice harvest, and the kingdom faced the prospect of a famine. Furthermore, not only Ayuthay had suffered, and this scarcity of resources would make conflict more likely- could he really handle that?

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Paithos' private bath chamber, deep in the night**_

Genvalis turned and made for the door, but in vain. The door was already shut and locked.

Paithos ignored his frantic attempts to escape and watched as the man removed his hood. His face was covered with a strange – yet very familiar – silver mask.

"Long time no see, King Paithos," said Arcanus.

"What brings you here?" Paithos asked.

Arcanus smiled sinisterly. "I only wish to… borrow… your nephew."

The last time Amiti had been "borrowed" (as Tyrell had put it), he didn't return for many months. It wasn't good for Amiti to spend so much time outside Ayuthay… _But, _Paithos thought, _Amiti was so happy. When he came back from Barai, he was smiling in a way he hadn't for years, since he was a small child…_

_Well this shouldn't be so bad, _Paithos thought. _I'm sure that Arcanus is a good man – after all, he did restore our Alchemy Well, so I owe him. _

"How long will he be gone?" Paithos asked.

"I cannot say for sure. However, it is very important and will benefit Ayuthay in no small way", said Arcanus.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

Arcanus didn't.

After a long pause, Arcanus said, "I didn't come here with a request; I came to inform you of your son's departure, so you do not get a heart attack."

_So much mystery, __Paithos thought. It had been the same with Veriti._

"Okay", Paithos said, He didn't think Amiti was in any danger, and there was far more harm in resisting Arcanus than in cooperating. "What must I know?"

"Well, first of all, you must never tell anyone of my existence", Arcanus said. "Otherwise, Amiti's illegitimate birth would become known. Secondly, you must act like you have no idea why Amiti left…"

Paithos listened carefully to each of Arcanus' instructions. When he had finished, Paithos agreed, on the terms that it would bring peace and prosperity to Ayuthay.

Arcanus turned to Genvalis. "Oh, I forgot about you. I can't have you blabbering about anything you heard here. You will have to sleep."

Arcanus then strode over to the terrified Genvalis, and with a single stroke of his fingers, knocked the man out.

"Farewell, King of Ayuthay," he said, before exiting.

"Farewell, Arcanus," Paithos said softly, still uncertain of the situation.

"And farewell, my nephew," he said once Arcanus had left.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Amiti's chamber**_

Amiti thought he heard footsteps, faintly. He decided not to focus on it. He wasn't a child and he definitely wasn't afraid of things like this. _H_e forced himself to think of something else, a distraction from the noises.

_And_ _now_, _Bilibin demands Ayuthay pay back its debt_. Bilibin said that it needed the gold back now or there would be "consequences." Those sympathetic to Bilibin argued that it needed the gold to help its people after the Eclipse. Amiti didn't buy it. He was sure any gold Bilibin received would go not to its people but to an invasion of Morgal, more construction on the Queen's palace, or both. Bilibin's goodwill was worthless, he thought, knowing how it betrayed its former ally Morgal. He also believed fully the rumors that Bilibin had also sold weapons to Kaocho.

The king's advisors advocated cutting spending while raising taxes on peasants, which would inflict even more suffering right after the Eclipse. In Amiti's view, the role of rulers was to protect their people from suffering, not to pay back debts. Amiti thought, _if I could I'd just make those corrupt nobles pay the debt out of their own pockets, even if it bankrupts them. _The masses had no blame in causing the problems, but the nobles _did,_ because maybe if they didn't embezzle so much money from taxes, Ayuthay would be able to pay.

People, including both Paithos and Karis, had said he shouldn't take such harsh views. _And Karis had actually been right about pirates. Maybe they ARE right, maybe I am too harsh, _he thought. But he stopped himself. He had lived his whole life with Ayuthay's nobles, and the few good nobles were the exception to the rule rather than the norm. Maybe in other countries it was different, but Ayuthay's were just parasites – _even if Paithos wouldn't approve that thought._In any case, the advisors' proposal was inconsiderate of the masses.

Amiti knew deep down that Paithos' pragmatism was more successful than his ideals would probably be. Throughout his reign, Paithos had steered the country through a number of inescapable crises and had avoided other problems blowing up by treading carefully.

_This is why I can't be king_, he thought, almost laughing at himself. _I'd just plunge Ayuthay into civil war. Paithos makes concessions to keep the nobles loyal, but I could never put up with those self-obsessed vampires._

_And, _Amiti thought, _if I got into a fight with the nobles, who would win? The newly-crowned king who can't do politics and must seem like some foreign water nymph, or silver-tongued nobles skilled at the arts of lies and manipulation?_

_Those footsteps again. _They were getting louder. _Is it getting closer? _Amiti's biggest fear had always been assassins. _Don't be absurd, _he told himself, _there was no assassin any of the last thousand times. _Besides, wasn't it more realistic – and useful – to worry about things that might actually happen?

Amiti was actually quite concerned that given how vulnerable and inexperienced he was, the nobles would usurp him even without provocation.

Amiti wished, very strongly, that he had been the son of one of the Warriors like his old companions. Then he would have peers, wouldn't still be a pampered baby, and wouldn't have to deal with the byzantine social rules or responsibilities of the Prince. He sighed.

And then, mid breath, his sigh turned into a startled gasp. The door handle to his room was turning.

_Oh, horsefeathers. There actually is one this time. _

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_Amiti's chamber, approaching morning._

Amiti looked at what looked to be a phantom in the night. The figure was tall, with a graceful form and a long black cloak and hood. His left hand emitted a strange light, and his right hand held a scythe. He was probably trying to look like Death, but it didn't scare Amiti – he was terrified to begin with.

He struggled to stay calm, as he frantically contemplated what to do. Strangely, the man didn't seem to be doing anything. _Well_, he thought, _I am completely vulnerable lying down like this_. He got up and moved to the corner of the room opposite the invader, gingerly and slowly, not wanting to trip, for that would surely spell his doom.

Then Amiti realized that he had just backed himself into a corner, literally. _Crap, what an idiot I am. Now I have no room to evade, and nothing to block or parry with…damn it. I'll have to make the first move. _

Amiti tried to muster what Psynergy he had in his exhausted state. He managed to summon a deluge of water in front of his palms, which he blasted at the man. _I really hope I can finish this quickly, _he thought. _Or rather, I have to survive this… I must._

The dark-cloaked phantom man, however, rose his hand gracefully, and the blast of water stopped in midair. _An adept. A Mercury adept._

_-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-_

Next: Chapter 3 – Captive of Reason

Remember, I love feedback – reviews are veeery nice.

Author's notes:

1. I'll admit that the original reason I chose Bilibin as the country Amiti was to hate was because Bilibin had tried to cut down the forest of what he calls "the divine tree gods." (you know, Laurel and Tret)

2. As for Amiti being short, I didn't make this up. It's based on his sprite used in battle scenes, which is shorter than that of Matthew, Tyrell, Eoleo and even Karis.

3. In my view, Ayuthay is primarily the Weyard equivalent of Thailand, as evidenced by its scenery and the fact that Ayuthaya was the name of a historical Thai kingdom. However, the names of its inhabitants are consistently eastern Mediterranean- Amiti and Veriti's names are Latin, and Paithos was Greek (in google translate, it returns "python"). I continued the trend:

*Genvalis comes from Turkish _genel vali, _viceroy

*Fiaretria comes from Greek _ypiretria_, servant girl

*Chafko comes from Albanian _qafkë, _heron.


	3. Chapter 3: Captive of Responsibility

**Before-words:**

1. Forgot to say so in the first chapter, so I'll get this out of the way now: I don't own Golden Sun, or any of the non-original characters here, et cetera. Supporting the actual owners is a good idea.

2. There are a couple seemingly small details in this chapter that will become important later, despite what some of them may seem like.

******_~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~_**

**CHAPTER 3: CAPTIVE OF RESPONSIBILITY**

******_~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~_**

_**Late in the night, approaching morning, Ayuthay Palace**_

The man clenched his hand into a fist, and the water Amiti had sent upon him froze into a wall of ice, separating Amiti from him. He then slowly opened his fist, and the wall separated into a number of chunks. These chunks then slowly reformed, eventually becoming sharp, spear-like shafts. The man pointed all five left hand long fingers at Amiti, and the shafts pointed their tips at him, like an arrangement of compass needles pointing to a magnet.

Amiti frantically tried to neutralize the threat. He tried to reorient the shafts, tried to melt them back to water, tried to push them toward the man, but all in vain. They wouldn't budge. Beads of sweat fell from the ends of strands of his blue hair.

The man was just holding his deadly-looking ice shafts in place, menacing Amiti, but not actually attacking. It was as if he enjoyed watching Amiti squirm.

Amiti decided his last option was to try to attack the man, to break his focus and hopefully catch him off guard. He started to gather his (exhausted) energies together again.

But before he could act, the man released his missiles, which flew at him. Amiti held his breath.

The spikes of ice stabbed into the wall and surrounded Amiti. There was one on each side, just an inch away of his head. Whoever this man was (Amiti had a certain suspicion), he had missed Amiti intentionally. Assassination was not his aim here. _What does he want?_

The man slowly approached Amiti. As he did so, he removed his hood. The light illuminated a suddenly familiar silver mask and was framed by long hair the same cyan shade as Amiti's. _I knew it was him. _

"Attack or resist me, and I shall destroy this whole palace… no, this whole city," Alex warned, with an infuriatingly smug grin on his face.

_Can he really do that? Is he bluffing?_

"You think I am bluffing. Do you really want to risk it? Your responsibility is to the people of Ayuthay, is it not? It would be rather irresponsible for you to cause its capital city and entire ruling class to be destroyed."

Amiti clenched his fists. He had been completely outmaneuvered. It was as if Alex had been in reading his mind the whole time.

"But thankfully for you, I believe in using carrots as well as sticks. You may have some questions about your origins, no? I can answer them, but only if you leave this place by my side."

_It just keeps getting worse and worse…_

Amiti hated to give in without much of a fight, but he realized he really had no choice. Alex had complete power over him, and there was nothing he could do, really. He had no idea exactly how powerful Alex was, but he was much stronger than Amiti, and for all Amiti knew, maybe Alex _could _lay the city to waste. If he went with Alex, there was always the possibility he could escape later on, when the stakes weren't so high. And besides, in his current state, there wasn't much he could do. Nonetheless, he didn't like it- he had a bad feeling about what Alex's plans for him were, and this felt like premature surrender.

"…I'll come," he said reluctantly.

"I knew you were a sensible person and wouldn't disappoint me," Alex remarked, grinning widely. Amiti didn't blame Rief for hating this man.

"You will now get your blade and your normal travelling attire," Alex commanded.

Amiti couldn't believe his ears. Alex was commanding him to arm himself? But then he remembered Alex's threat. He couldn't attack until they were far enough away from the city.

After Amiti had finished changing clothes and fetching items to take with him, Alex gave Amiti a cloak similar to his own. Amiti hoped he would be able to break free soon.

He felt deeply uneasy. _Where am I going?_

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Morning, Ayuthay Inn**_

The morning sun light emanating from the open window stung Rief's eyes as he awoke. He had had a very bad dream last night, in which Alex had visited him during the night, promised not to harm him, gave him some bizarre cryptic message, and then killed him. Thankfully, it had been a dream.

He looked at the open window. _Had that window been open before? I'm pretty sure it hadn't, _he mused, perturbed. He got up and began to inspect the open window further, quickly discovering a note on the ground below it. He picked it up, and found that it said "_Remember, the northern base of the highest peak in the land of the white doe."_

_Had it not been a dream? __H_e wondered if Alex had only knocked him unconscious.

"You're up rather early, considering your usual habits, young man," a voice said from behind him.

Rief turned around to see Kraden's pleasantly smiling at him.

"What is that you've got in your hands?" Kraden asked.

Rief showed him the note and told him about the previous night.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Morning, Forest outside of Ayuthay**_

Amiti was tired for walking and he struggled to keep his eyes open._ I hate this man. He is a narcissist and a sadistic mass murderer with a disgusting fetish for power. Even if he is probably my father, _he thought.

Amiti looked up at the man walking beside him. _Maybe there's hope, _he thought wistfully, _this man is more than a head taller than me… could my father be someone else?_

Alex was a bit taken aback after reading his mind. _That was a little harsh and rather mean, calling me all those things, wasn't it? _Alex didn't think Amiti had any basis for that view at all.

At the same time he was impressed, and maybe a little proud, that his son had figured out his parentage completely on his own. He was also amused by the ways Amiti justified his denial of what he already knew.

"Well, I suppose it's about time I fulfilled my promise to tell you of your origins."

The face of the boy remained the same mask of disinterest and fatigue, but his misted eyes showed a strained mix of yearning, pain and sorrow. And then resignation.

"Are you my father?"

The boy had no emotion in his voice at all. But rather than giving an air of collectedness, as Alex reckoned he intended, he sounded like a zombie.

This hadn't been how Alex had intended to tell him. He had wanted a lead up that would appeal to his son's emotions. _Oh well…_

"That I am."

The boy glared at him, but his eyes were less resolute than his expression would suggest.

"You should get some sleep," Alex instructed the boy. "You haven't slept for over a whole day, no?"

Alex read the boy's mind as the latter internally groaned at the thought of sleeping on the forest floor, and then chided himself for being pampered.

"Don't worry; you won't sleep in the undergrowth next time."

_He seems determined to make me sleep… I highly doubt his motives. I should not let myself sleep, for that would make me completely vulnerable, _Alex heard his son think.

Alex decided he wasn't going to let Amiti's objections get in the way, so he knocked Amiti out with a stroke of his finger, catching his son as he fell, and placing him down softly on the forest floor.

Looking at his son, Alex felt an unexpected emotion, a sort of pride. He had in essence created this being, this son of his. Alex was glad his son in many ways took after himself. He had light blue hair, turquoise eyes, and soft, pale skin, as well as his father's graceful form. Like his father, he was lithe in battle and possessed formidable Mercury Psynergy. Like his father, he was admirably skilled at hiding his thoughts and intentions, though thankfully for Alex, they couldn't be hidden once his mind was read. Alex thought Amiti also had a strong will, but was unsure whether this was good or bad- it was good because his son was like himself, but bad because it could work to obstruct Alex's goals.

_At the same time, the ways in which he hasn't inherited my obviously desirable traits are disappointing, _Alex mused. These included Amiti's modest height and his apparent attachment to strongly held convictions and values. _The latter_, Alex observed, _is the reason so many humans inflict such ridiculous inconveniences upon themselves, all because of absurd notions like loyalty and other outrageous, useless sentiments. _

Alex stopped himself_. These are quite enjoyable thoughts, but they only serve to lead me astray_. _They are tempting distractions from my goal, and I must dispel them_, he decided. He didn't want to let himself fall victim to the same outrageous sentiments his son apparently obsessed over.

Alex then proceeded with the task at hand. He commenced probing Amiti's mind as the boy slept, to discover all his likes and dislikes, his views, his nature, and his deep, dark secrets.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**_Late morning, approaching midday, Ayuthay Palace_**

By the time Rief and Kraden reached the palace, what had originally been curiosity had rotted into a sort of agitated frustration. All around town, people were frantically whispering to each other about something that was probably of utmost importance, and yet no one would tell them what it was. When they tried to ask, they were simply ignored, saw the subject quickly changed, or said it was not fit to discuss with strangers.

"What is your business?," the guard on the right inquired of the pair.

"We wish to see Prince Amiti," Rief replied.

"I'm sorry, you can't do that," said the guard on the left, somberly.

"Why not?," inquired Rief.

"He vanished last night. No one can find him. Many people think he was assassinated, and the court is going hysterical," said the left guard, almost like it was a confession.

His words hit Rief like a wall. It was so sudden.

_Had Amiti foreseen this? Was that why he was behaving so bizarrely? _Rief contemplated the concept of Amiti being assassinated, and decided that it actually seemed disturbingly reasonable, given the venom Amiti had told him about the nature of the court nobles in the past. Worse still, it seemed like the _most _logical explanation for why he had suddenly disappeared. _Thankfully, no corpse has shown up, as far as we know, _thought Rief, and he hoped one never would.

Suddenly, the guard on the right was yelling at the left, very animatedly.

"Shut your mouth! Are you an idiot?! Why are you telling these foreigners about this?!" the right guard cried, stressing the word _foreigners_ in a way that made Rief uneasy.

"Oh, please. Chill out. All you have to do is observe this city's people- they already know, and they're bound to talk. And if you're worried about other countries knowing about this, I am as certain that the nobles will betray us as I am that I have two hands," the left riposted.

"Are you really saying that? That could get you killed, you fool! Have you really no faith in our lords?," the right demanded.

"I am loyal to King Paithos, not the lords who starved my family during the famine!," exclaimed the left. He opened his mouth again as if to continue, but then stopped himself and turned back towards Rief and Kraden.

"I am sorry you had to witness this, and such bad hospitality. We have forgotten ourselves in the midst of all this," the left guard said with embarrassment and more than one accusing glance to his right. "Please follow me," he continued, beckoning them forward.

The guard on the right moved to block the entrance and pointed his spear at the left guard's chin, almost threateningly. "Who gave you the authority to allow these _foreigners_ into our palace, huh Maityo?!," he demanded.

"Prince Chafko did," Maityo replied, pausing for emphasis. "Dhikshe, did you really not recognize Rief, one of the children of the Warriors of Vale who went into Barai Temple for us?"

"What, that Lemurian pup?"

_Does he think, _Rief wondered, amused rather than insulted, _that I'm Lemurian?_

Maityo shook his head in disgust, ignored Dhikshe and ushered them inside the palace.

"I must apologize for my partner… I think we are letting all of today's hysteria in the palace mess up our heads," Maityo said apologetically as he led them.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Forest**__** outside Ayuthay.**_

Amiti was awoken to a voice saying, "Rise and shine, Myalkni".

_What does 'Myalkni', mean? Is that some sort of term of respect from Imil or something? _

"Myalkni," Alex told him," is your name."

"My name is Amiti," Amiti stated. _So now he wants to name me?, _Amiti thought._ If he wanted to name his child, he should of at least stayed around long enough to see me born. He was never there when I was a child, and now I am an adult but he wants to treat me like his son. _

"No," Alex corrected him, "It is not the name I want to give you. It is the name Veriti told me she wanted to bestow on her first child."

_Oh, my mother… _Amiti thought. He felt a deep, familiar emptiness in his chest.

"Is it not the case that in Ayuthay, the names of royal children are not chosen by their parents, but rather by the king's advisors?"

It was true. And Amiti hated that, especially what it symbolized, the advisors- who were nobles- having such control, even over personal matters such as name choice.

"She always hated the name the advisors had given her, and wanted the chance to name her own child…"

_Mother… _

Amiti had always hated his own name too, both for the endless puns with the word "amity" and because it wasn't the name his parents would have given. He had come up with many names for himself over time, but always forgot or bored of them. He did, in fact, like the sound of the name "Myalkni"…

"So," Alex said, smiling, and asked "what is your name?"

Amiti was torn. This smelled of Alex trying to assert and gain power over him. _And yet… there's a chance this is actually the name my mother wanted me to have. After all, she had loved Alex, and there is a possibility they may have discussed names._

Amiti didn't want to bow to Alex by accepting the name. _But wait, _he thought, _if I use that logic… haven't I been bowing to those nobles all these years? _Another voice in his head replied that Alex was far worse than the nobles, that they were only extremely corrupt, whereas Alex had killed huge numbers of people for his sick plans.

_But is that really true?, _the first voice asked. _The nobles also starved peasants to death during the famine. _Then it continued, _and how do you know that Alex is guiltier than the Tuaparang in that? Perhaps he was coerced. _

Amiti stopped that string of nonsense. _I saw Alex in league with the Tuaparang before my own eyes, and until there is a good explanation, he can't be trusted. Anything contrary to that is just wishful thinking. The truth is that my father is a horrible person, and I just have to come to terms with that. _

"Well, what's your name?" Alex said impatiently.

Alex had put Amiti in a tough quandary. He was being forced to both accept, or both reject, Alex and his mother at the same time. On one hand, he could choose to accept the name, as it was truly his if his mother had intended it, but that would mean surrendering more to Alex. On the other, he could reject the name, but in doing so he would also reject his own mother…

"…my name…is…Myalkni," the prince said, slowly. It wasn't long before Myalkni regretted his choice. He had allowed Alex to change his name- the symbol of his identity, the sound referring to his existence. And yet, he was emotionally incapable of rejecting the mother he wished he had known. Now that he no longer had any delusions about his father, he couldn't give up his mother too.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Ayuthay**__** Palace**__**. **_

Eventually, they had been led to the back of the Ayuthay Palace, where Prince Chafko's chamber lay. Maityo requested entry, and the door entered with the resonating, confident sound of a trumpet.

Rief could only see a couple similarities between Chafko and Amiti. Chafko looked to be in his late twenties, meaning he was probably five to seven years older than his cousin. Chafko wore the same outfit Amiti had worn when Rief had first met him, with a golden cap, long, embroidered trousers, and a bare chest.

And then, the similarities ended abruptly, and Rief could barely see any family resemblance. Chafko was dark, fairly tall, and had broad shoulders and a muscular chest, in contrast to Amiti's paler complexion, shorter height and slender build. His dark brown hair was shorter than Amiti's and it emanated outward from his golden headdress in a manner almost like the rays of the sun. It looked intentionally done that way. While Amiti gave off a sense of modest culturedness and thoughtfulness, Chafko emanated dignity and confidence. Chafko was actually a little intimidating, despite his welcoming expression. While Amiti looked like a prince and King Paithos looked was looking more and more like a sickly old man, Prince Chafko was the one who actually looked like a king.

"Welcome," said Chafko.

"Where's Paithos?" asked Rief, immediately realizing he probably shouldn't have.

"That's a good question," said Chafko. "For some reason, he seemed to insist that I be the one to handle this."

_Chafko is being tested, _Rief thought immediately. But before he could continue that contemplation, he was distracted.

Surrounding Chafko were four young maidens. They were beautiful, and also happened to be scantily clad, and before long, Rief couldn't keep his eyes off of them. When they saw that he was looking at them, one of the girls smiled, and Rief completely lost track of what Kraden and Chafko were saying.

After a time, Rief was snapped out of his gaze by hearing his name spoken by Kraden, saying "yes, Rief has gotten to… that age."

He looked up from the girls, to see Chafko smiling with amusement at him. How long had he been staring at them? He was mortified at his behavior in front of royalty, and was quite certain his face was now as red as a tomato.

No doubt seeing Rief's discomfort, Chafko said "Don't worry, my girls are only flattered," he said with a smile that was somehow quite comforting. "However," he continued," we should not have any distractions."

"Girls, you are dismissed," Chafko ordered, and his harem departed.

"It seems like you have quite a difficult situation here," Kraden said to Chafko.

"It is indeed," Chafko agreed. "It seems that the rumors have unleashed certain tensions that were lying beneath the surface here. There are cracks behind the façade of harmony in this country…"

"What are you talking about?" Rief asked.

"It would be unwise for me to discuss this here with you, but I'm sure you have either discovered this on your own or will discover it soon."

Rief thought of the argument that the two palace sentries had had in front of him.

"What I'm trying to say," Chafko concluded, "is that Ayuthay can't wait long for Amiti to return… wherever he went. Paithos told me that he was completely certain Amiti was still alive, but he wouldn't tell me how he knew."

_How could he have known? _Rief wondered. _Something is very weird, very unnatural here… Why would Paithos entrust such an important task to Chafko, just to test him, and then withhold necessary information? _

"I thought, if anyone can help, it would be you people… First of all, I want someone from outside Ayuthay because of Ayuthay's… internal issues. And second of all, you and your adepts might actually know Amiti and where he might be better…"

"I'm not sure we can help you," Rief said sadly. "We have utterly no clue what might have happened to him."

"Hold your horses, Rief," said Kraden. "We may actually know something… why else would Alex leave that note?"

Kraden explained about the note, and then Rief told Chafko about what had happened the previous night.

"…Well," said Chafko. "That certainly changes things."

Rief and Kraden nodded in agreement.

"If Alex could break into our rooms and then escape with such ease… it naturally follows that it is quite possible that he could do the same in Amiti's chamber," Kraden observed.

"And," he continued, "he left that note, indicating that he probably _wants_ us to pursue him. That is quite like him."

_Kraden knows that man well… I wonder how well my own mother knew him before he betrayed her, _Rief pondered.

"It seems that the only logical explanation for Amiti's explanation is that this Alex abducted him, perhaps as a sort of hostage…" Chafko thought aloud. "And, unfortunately, Ayuthay is not capable of paying a ransom, nor would I ever want to. It would be great if you and your adept friends could rescue him, somehow…"

"We do want to save Amiti, but my adept friends are scattered across the continent, unfortunately, and we don't know where Alex is either," Rief said remorsefully, before he realized that he was wrong. "Wait, we _may _actually know where Alex is…," Rief said, as he took out the note.

"_Remember, the northern base of the highest peak in the land of the white doe._," Rief read aloud. "But I have no idea where that might be, though, there are many different countries in Angara with many peaks, and we don't know which is the land of the white doe."

"Oh, yes we do," Kraden said, smiling.

"Pray tell," Chafko urged.

"It is Morgal," Kraden said. "The poetic nickname of the newly crowned Queen Sveta of Morgal is the 'white deer', and since she is a woman, it naturally follows that she could also be the 'white doe'."

"Ohh….." Rief said. How had he not seen that?

Everyone was silent for some time, before Rief spoke.

"It would probably take months at least to reach the northern base of the Talon Peak. It's remote and on the other side of the continent. To get there from here, no matter what route we take, we'd either have to cross through many countries, some of which are hostile to each other, or cross the largest mountain range on the continent…"

"Well, we could send a message by bird," Chafko suggested.

"Yes, that would be a swell idea," Kraden agreed. "We know Sveta pretty well and I'm sure she'll agree to help."

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Morning, Forest outside of Ayuthay**_

"Good," Alex said, with a triumphant smile. "Now, what is my name?"

"Alex?"

"Wrong- my name is Arcanus," the man said.

"Isn't Alex the name your parents gave you?"

"Yes, it is," Arcanus said. "Alex was the name that given to me by my simple parents, who didn't care a bit about me and just wanted to make me a perfect automaton to guard Imil's wretched Lighthouse my whole life. I am free of that now, and thus I am Arcanus."

Arcanus then left.

_He didn't want to be owned by his parents, and using that name was the symbol of that which he discarded, _Myalkni thought. _He might as well have confessed that the reason he wants me to call myself this name is because he wants to control me. _

_But I won't let him, _Myalkni decided.

_How can I break free of him?, _Myalkni asked himself. He decided he wouldn't be able to simply run away. Arcanus wouldn't let him get away, and he didn't want to be alone, worrying about outrunning a pursuer in addition to all the other things he'd have to worry about in the forest… He needed to remove Arcanus somehow from the situation.

And an idea came to his mind. At first Myalkni was surprised by himself. But then he considered it. If he remained in company with Arcanus, he would surely become a tool and an accomplice in Arcanus' vile plots. He had to avoid that at all costs… even if it meant he needed to kill his father.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**next: Chapter 4- Captive of Emotions**

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

1. The East Mediterranean naming scheme for Ayuthayans continues:

*Maityo comes from Albanian _majtë, _left.

*Dhikshe comes form Greek _dexia, _right (the direction). The "dh" is to be pronounced like the "th" in "this".

*Myalkni comes from Albanian _mjellmi_, swan. I had originally planned for his second name to by Cygnus (Latin for swan) or Cygnu or something, but it didn't seem to fit him. Myalkni did fit him pretty well, I thought. The name uses the Ayuthayan naming scheme because Veriti, an Ayuthayan, was the one who came up with it.

2. In case you were wondering, I use Google Translate to get the translations. I don't actually know all these languages.

**3. Remember, I really like feedback :). **


	4. Chapter 4: Captive of Emotions

**CHAPTER 4: CAPTIVE OF EMOTIONS**

******_~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~_**

_**Ayuthay Palace**_

"Well, I might as well see you off, then…" said Chafko.

Rief felt a sense of unease, like he was forgetting something important. _Oh, yes… Amiti's parentage. _For some reason, he felt there was something important he didn't know. Perhaps it was because Amiti had been acting so weird after talking about that earlier.

"Prince Chafko… about Amiti's birth…" Rief said, his voice trailing off at the end. He felt awkward talking about these sorts of "family matters", especially with royalty.

"Oh yes, that…" Chafko said, smiling bemusedly. "We are supposed to believe that by my aunt Veriti's magical powers, she conceived my cousin without losing her virginity," he said quietly, with a tinge of mockery in his voice. Rief could feel his cheeks growing red.

"You don't believe that?" Kraden asked.

"Why do you ask?" Chafko asked in response.

Everyone was silent for a time. This situation was awkward on so many levels. Rief couldn't help but remember Chafko was Amiti's rival to the throne.

"You know it's not true, don't you, boy?" Chafko inquired, his voice full of the darkness brought by maturity.

Neither Rief nor Kraden said anything.

"_I_ know it's not true," Chafko stated, pausing as if to draw out a response.

Rief wasn't familiar with royalty. He hated talking about these things to begin with, and he didn't know if Chafko might seek to use Amiti's illegitimate birth to delegitimize Amiti's – his rival's – claim to the. _Perhaps Chafko is as awkward about how to talk about this as we are, _Rief pondered.

"I don't think many people ever believed that, except for some peasants who admired to their beloved prince, and that prince himself, who used it as a safety pillow and a shield against the dirt the nobles' children hurled at him," Chafko mused.

"I don't think Amiti ever believed it…" Rief muttered.

"But he certainly tried to. He had pretty strong emotions on the matter, I think," Chafko replied.

_Yes, he did, _Rief agreed silently.

"Who was Amiti's father, I wonder? He certainly wasn't from Ayuthay. There needs to be an explanation for Amiti's appearance. No Ayuthayan has blue hair…" Chafko mused. "His father was probably therefore from Lemuria, or…" Chafko stopped looking straight at Rief's own blue hair. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Imil."

"I was just thinking… Lemurians rarely leave their isle. So it'd be unlikely his father was Lemurian. Do many people in Imil have hair like yours?"

"Well… people of Imil have yellow, orange, sandy and, yes, blue hair… but who from Imil could possibly be Amiti's father?" Rief replied. Judging from how foreigners were treated here, Rief didn't think any foreigner could ever seduce Ayuthay's princess, let alone get away with it.

"The people of Imil are also like those of Lemuria, in that they never leave their home," Kraden added. "They are committed to the sacred duty of managing their village's springs and lighthouse," he explained.

Everyone was silent for a time. Rief felt that he was missing something, something he should be realizing, but couldn't grasp it. He was too tired.

"And what of his Majesty, King Paithos?" inquired Kraden.

"Paithos… tried to fill the role. But it was hard for him to be both king and father," answered Chafko. "It was hard… for him to be my father, too. Especially after my mother, Queen Zanfina, died."

Rief wondered what that was like, not only to lack a father but also a mother, or anyone able to play the role of a parent.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Forest outside of Ayuthay, evening**_

"So, Myalkni, my son," said Arcanus, "tomorrow, you shall meet a new friend."

Myalkni bristled, hating the patronizing tone of the man's voice.

"Look forward to it," Arcanus ordered as he walked off. "I have business. I will see you in a couple hours."

And he was gone.

Myalkni wasn't usually heavily affected by hunger, but now he was starving. He hadn't eaten for a day. He thoroughly hated this man who claimed to be his father.

One thing was for sure now: if he was going to murder Arcanus, it would have to be before tomorrow, before this 'friend' he would meet appeared. He wanted no witnesses and no interference.

But how would he do it? He didn't think he could best Arcanus in a fight… _No, I need to either cripple him quickly or kill him in one stroke. _He needed to get Arcanus when the latter was as vulnerable as possible.

Myalkni remembered how vulnerable he had been when Arcanus had broken into his room the previous night to kidnap him._ I was unarmed, cornered and unprepared._ _He may not be unarmed, but he may be asleep, which is even better…_

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Ayuthay Palace, evening** _

The letter having been (finally) sent to Sveta, Rief was on his way back from the Ayuthay palace when he heard a voices talking in suspicious, conspiratorial tones that alerted him. The sound was coming through the cracks in the thin stone wall of a villa beside him.

"Well, it's for-sure great that that blue-haired twit is gone," Rief heard a voice saying. _Is he talking about me?_

"Hah. That little Lemurian-spawned whelp was always an eyesore…" said another voice. He recognized this as the right-side guard from earlier, Dhikshe.

"To think we could actually have to call him our king…" said the other voice.

_This is what Chafko was talking about earlier, _Rief thought excitedly. He was both worried and insatiably curious. He motioned to Kraden and they pressed their ears against the wall to eavesdrop.

"That reminds me. Well, it turns out he actually isn't some scummy Lemurian-spawn. Get this- I've finally learned where Amiti came from!" the other voice said.

They were talking in a way that reminded Rief of excited children sharing gossip, except that this was much, much more serious.

"Tell me, Tsaksido," urged Dhikshe.

"Well, last night, my father was with the king when an unexpected guest appeared," explained Tsaksido. Tsaksido then told Dhikshe all that his father, the advisor Count Genvalis, had heard last night when the mysterious adept had showed up in the bath chambers. Apparently, due to being knocked out at the end, Genvalis had lost his memory of large parts of their conversation, but what remained was still major news.

"That's… wild, man," Dhikshe said slowly.

"…that's all you have to say? You know what this means, right?"

"Uhhhh….. what does it mean, man?" Dhikshe asked. Rief was getting the impression he wasn't too sharp.

"That whole thing about Princess Veriti being an adept who saved Ayuthay from desertification- LIES! And now we have PROOF that Prince Amiti was an illegitimate child, rather than the result of Veriti's fake magical powers," exclaimed Tsaksido.

"My father," Tsaksido continued animatedly, "was furious he had never been informed of this. He works so hard to help the king, but the king leaves my father in the dark about critical issues… he doesn't give a thought about us mere nobles. None of them do."

"The whole royal family is a ton of rotten tyrants," agreed Dhikshe.

"They trample all over us, not letting us enjoy what is rightly ours… It'd be great to be rid of them…," argued Tsaksido. "By the way, Ankyala has reported back to me already," he continued.

"What's the deal? Did she find the ring in Amiti's chambers?" Dhikshe asked excitedly.

Kraden raised his eyebrows, surprised. Rief couldn't believe what he was hearing. _They broke into Amiti's chambers?! _

"Unfortunately, it seems that wherever he disappeared, he took the ring with him. I paid Ankyala a pretty penny and dismissed her, let her go back to her normal maid duties. Hopefully she won't give us away."

"Why do you need the ring anyways, man?" inquired Dhikshe.

"The Heirloom Ring symbolizes the continuity of the royal family's regime. Without it, by tradition, a new king cannot be crowned… without it, they would lack legitimacy among the populace," explained Tsaksido.

Rief was certain that Dhikshe was staring dumbly, not understanding a word Tsaksido had said.

"Wow, sounds important."

"But thankfully, there's little threat of him succeeding Paithos anytime soon. However, if Amiti's location is discovered and it looks like he may return, we might need to act preemptively…to make sure he is not crowned. We must seize the ring…"

"Yeah."

"If Amiti is crowned, we will be abused, and he will infringe on our freedoms and rights…" Tsaksido was arguing angrily, when Rief saw Kraden signaling for Rief to follow him back to the inn. Rief looked at the sky and saw that the sun had almost finished setting. He reluctantly followed Kraden back. He felt he was hearing important information, but he didn't want to end up getting caught eavesdropping.

Somehow there had been something terribly ominous about that conversation.

"Well, that's a bit… extraordinary, to bribe a maid to infiltrate and search a Prince's chambers," Kraden thought aloud.

"And to try to steal such a valuable item," Rief added, agreeing. "Do you remember Amiti ever mentioning the ring?"

"Well, I recall him returning with a ring when we visited Ayuthay en route from Champa during the eclipse," Kraden answered.

"Paithos must've thought he was terminally ill, and wanted to pass on the ring so he could be succeeded," Rief mused.

"I think he may have given it away though," Kraden said.

"To who?" inquired Rief.

"I… can't seem to remember," said Kraden apologetically.

Kraden always remembered these details that others completely missed, but then forgot major things that everyone else remembered.

_But who did Amiti give the ring to?_

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Forest outside of Ayuthay, early night**_

Myalkni was lying down on the forest bed, on a spot he had chosen, where there were few plants in his way. There would be no sound if he were to get up. He kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep, peeking occasionally to check if Arcanus was returning.

Eventually, Arcanus did return.

"Awake, my son," he bellowed.

_Will he ever stop calling me that?! I hate it so much, _Myalkni thought, as he got up, slowly and painfully, acting like he had actually been sleeping.

"This forest, as we both know, is full of monsters which could attack us as we sleep," Arcanus explained.

"For that reason, my son, you will keep watch, while I catch some sleep tonight," he commanded.

"As you wish, father."

Arcanus looked mildly surprised at how quickly Myalkni had agreed. He quickly set himself down and became still. He hadn't slept in two days, and for all he was, he was still human, after all.

Still, Myalkni was hesitant to make his move. He just waited, longer and longer. He justified it to himself. _I don't know he's really asleep. _And wasn't it true that one was more likely to be awakened when they had just recently fallen asleep?

_Just get up, already._

Myalkni wasn't sure how much time was passing, but he was starting to get a distinct fear that he would either be ambushed by monsters, or worse, wait until morning came and lose his chance. He would be under Arcanus' control _forever_. That second fear drove him to arise.

He gingerly walked towards Arcanus' sleeping body. _Arcanus' corpse._

_Just do it. _

But something was stopping him. _Now is your ONLY chance, _he yelled at himself silently. _DO IT. It's for the good of all. _

Yet, something still held back. He felt a deep, bottomless emptiness in his chest. He knew that feeling. He told it to go away, that it was only making things complicated. It didn't, of course. And on top of that, he was incredibly nervous. _Do I really know what I'm doing? _

_ Now or never, _he reminded himself.

He drew his rapier from its scabbard. But as he did so, the tip of the blade rattled on the edges of the scabbard, creating a sharp clinking sound, because of how much his hands were trembling.

He heard rustling around him. Panic set in. Was someone else here? Did Arcanus just twitch?_ Did I just wake him up? Or is a monster stalking me? Or is it my imagination._

_In any case, I'd better get on with it._

Myalkni slowly moved his rapier forward to the area right above Arcanus' neck. He didn't want to slash – that would be too hideous to get himself to do. He didn't want to attack the heart, for fear of missing. The neck, it was.

But still he couldn't follow through.

Amiti was never a killer. He had never enjoyed the sport of hunting, and when he was forced into it, he had always looked for excuses to shorten the trip. For this reason, the nobles' children criticized him for being a coward or "sissy", but he preferred to think he was simply more civilized. Myalkni still disliked using the bow because he associated it with hunting. When Kaocho invaded, Amiti had been terrified of having to fight in the war, but at least that would be morally preferable to killing the defenseless, as he planned to do now.

_When I was with the children of the Warriors of Vale, I didn't have as much of a problem, _he reminded himself. _But that's not really true, nor is it the same, _another voice in his mind replied. He had fought without complaint because he cared more of what the adepts thought of him than what the nobles the thought. And it wasn't the same because when he slain monsters fighting by their sides, it was in self-defense, and he was by the side of mighty warriors who would protect him.

_Now, I am killing my own father in cold blood when he is completely defenseless. And if I mess up, I will have to deal with one of the strongest warriors in Weyard without anyone by my side. _

Myalkni reminded himself of the likely consequences if he kept hesitating and Arcanus woke up. He cocked back his wrist, bracing himself for the not-so-pretty sight after he had completed the stab…

"So, are you going to actually strike this time?" whispered a female voice behind him.

Myalkni was so frightened that he jumped back- into her grasp. He felt a hand hit his back, and then suddenly, the blade of a scythe whipped around and stopped right in front of his throat.

"Resist, and you die," she threatened. Her voice was icy, without emotion.

_I'm done for._

"I didn't think you'd arrive this early. Myalkni, meet Latakia, your… new friend," said Arcanus as he got up.

Myalkni was furious at himself. He had blown his only opportunity.

"And by the way, son," Arcanus continued, "I was able to read your mind this whole time. Any plot you conceive against me will be useless. But you certainly do take a_ long_ time to strike."

_Blast…Could it get even worse? Please let me wake up from this nightmare, _Myalkni pleaded silently. But it didn't end. Latakia grabbed his arms and began tying his hands together.

"Latakia, I think my son will need to be… tamed," Arcanus instructed.

"Yes, milord… the Tuaparang airship is ready, not far from here," she replied. "And yes, I shall, as you say… tame him."

_It just got worse. _

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**Next: Chapter 5- Land of the White Doe**

AUTHORS NOTES:

1. The naming of Ayuthayans follows the old scheme:

*Zanfina is an Albanian girl's name

*Tsaksido is from Turkish _sehzade, _meaning prince.

*Ankyala is from Latin _ancilla, _meaning girl-slave.

2. Latakia's name, meanwhile, comes from the Syrian coastal city Latakia, which is the center of the Alawite region, where the ruling family in Syria, the Assads, hail from. The canon uses Hama, so why not Latakia?

**3. I like feedback a lot. Don't hesitate to review : ).**

4. The next chapter will be in Morgal, and, **yes**, will feature more of the main cast.**  
**

go to the top of my profile and take the poll about who you think got the Heirloom Ring. I'm curious to know**. **If you're lazy, here's the url: /u/1681403/Yalens# (attach that to the fanfiction-dot-net url that I can't post) EDIT: The poll is now closed, but you can still tell me what you thought in a review of course.


	5. Chapter 5: Land of the White Doe

Before-words:

1. This takes place 1-2 weeks after Chapter 4 ended.

2. I don't go into much detail on the torture, mainly because this could raise the maturity level.

3. The reader can interpret the ring-giving as an act of either friendship or romance. I wrote this with enough ambiguity that both should be plausible interpretations.

4. I spell Sahha with 2 H's to not confuse it with Sana.

5. Remember, I like reviews :).

**CHAPTER 5: THE LAND OF THE WHITE DOE**

******_~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~_**

_**Tuaparang Airship, late evening**_

Myalkni looked up.

Latakia was taller than him, with a graceful figure abd long, dark hair. There was something childlike about her, in a somehow tragic way. She had a subtle nose and her cheeks came to a soft point with her chin. The most striking aspect was her crimson-red eyes. _The color of blood. _Those eyes somehow conveyed both deep emotion and complete lack of emotion at the same time. They showed both a sort of savage joy and a deeper pain behind.

Her left hand alternated between grasping and releasing his right shoulder, as if to somehow comfort him. Meanwhile, her right hand brandished a whip with a spiked ball at the end, assailing his right shoulder whenever he gave an unsatisfactory answer.

It wasn't enough for him to merely _tell_ her with _words_ he was loyal only to the Tuaparang, specifically Arcanus and herself. It had to be_ true_, and she _knew_ it wasn't. He thought he sounded sincere, but he figured he probably sounded like what he was: someone who had been tortured for days on end, begging for reprieve.

The prison cell somehow reflected his state of mind: locked into a dreadful reality he couldn't escape, suffering bouts of agony.

Latakia seemed not to want to badly injure him. She was an Adept, and used her Psynergy to heal him after long intervals, but not before he had received a full dose of agony. His shoulder bone and arm had been broken and healed many times already. _I will bear through this, longer, _he told himself. _I won't let myself break. _

But it was getting harder and harder to endure. It had already been days, which seemed like years. How long could he last? He shuddered at the thought of giving in and becoming another Tuaparang goon, or worse, his father's favorite goon.

He had bungled his only chance to escape by hesitating to kill Arcanus. Now, he had no chance of successful escape, and the consequences of failed escape were probably unthinkable. He hoped against all reason that, somehow, he would be rescued.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**Eoleo's ship's lower cabin, late evening, months ago**

_Amiti had just come back from revisiting his uncle, the King of Ayuthay, Tyrell remembered. The others had gone into the city, but only Amiti had entered the king's chambers. When he returned, Amiti was thoroughly depressed. King Paithos, it turned out, was not on his throne at all when Amiti visited him, but rather was in bed, apparently terminally ill. _

_ Everyone had finished eating and gone up to the deck, but Amiti just sat there, unmoving, staring at nothing. He had a look of a man who foresaw the apocalypse._

"_Well, now, when you come back to Ayuthay next, you might be king. I should be giving you my congratulations in advance," Tyrell said, trying to sound comforting, with a wry smile. _

_Instead of looking relieved, however, Amiti glared furiously for a second, then turned away and resumed staring at nothing. Tyrell wanted to punch himself. Amiti was going to lose his uncle- who in Tyrell's opinion acted pretty much like Amiti's surrogate father- and Tyrell was joking about celebrating it. He had done it again, like Karis always said, acted before thinking. How stupid._

"_I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it _that _way, man …" he said, while beating himself up in his mind._

"_No … ts'okay. You're only trying to make me feel better," Amiti mumbled. "Actually, I appreciate the effort."_

Phew_, Tyrell thought, _he's not mad at me_. On the other hand, Amiti clearly wasn't feeling any better. _

_Amiti began twisting the ends of his left arm sleeve, clearly thinking hard about something. Then, he abruptly looked up at Tyrell. He rolled up his left sleeve, which was rather frayed from how he hard he had twisted it. His eyes shined with purpose. _

"_I have something I want to you to have," he told Tyrell. Amiti removed from his middle finger a silver ring, with a light blue gemstone embedded in it. _

"_What's that?" Tyrell asked._

"_This," Amiti answered, "is the Heirloom Ring."_

"_That sounds pretty important, judging by the name," Tyrell breathed._

"_True to the name, it's the Ayuthay royal family heirloom," Amiti replied. _

_Tyrell was taken aback by being given such a valuable item, and he almost opened his mouth to refuse it. But he stopped himself. _Think, Tyrell_, he told himself._ Important people get offended when you refuse their gifts._ Where had he learned that? Oh, right- Amiti himself said back in Passaj. He didn't want to refuse it and make Amiti even more miserable than he already was, but he couldn't accept it either. So he just sat there silently. _

"_There is a reason why I'm giving you this. I'm not trying to get rid of it," Amiti explained, as if answering the question lingering in Tyrell's head. "This isn't just a family heirloom. It's also endowed with Psynergy-like properties. You can tap into it to heal even of the deepest wounds."_

_Tyrell wondered why Amiti was giving it to _him _specifically, though. _

"_You," Amiti continued, "are the only one of us who can't heal using Psynergy. That's why you should wear it. I don't want you to be caught with a deadly wound that you can't heal, all alone… It'll keep you safe from death._

"_Don't use it haphazardly, though," Amiti warned. "The energy within it could run out. It should only be used for the deepest wounds. Use potions or herbs when possible for the rest…"_

_There was silence for awhile, before Tyrell spoke. _

"_Okay, how about this. I get that you want me to be safe, so I'll wear it until this eclipse is over and all the deadly shadow monsters are gone. Then, I'll return it to you," Tyrell suggested._

"_Oh yeah, that's… that's what I meant to say," Amiti stammered. "It could actually cause problems if that ring didn't go back with me to Ayuthay in the long run," Amiti said, his eyes sinking._

"_One more thing… don't wear that ring while you're in Ayuthay. Hide it somewhere, where no one can see, if you're ever in Ayuthay and still have it. That could cause real problems," Amiti warned. _

"_Okay," Tyrell agreed as he accepted it. _

"_You sure this'll fit?" he asked. Amiti's fingers were much thinner than his. _

"_Don't worry. Remember, the ring is magical. It'll expand to match your finger. Here, give me your hand."_

_Tyrell gave the ring back to Amiti and held out his left hand. Tyrell watched the ring change width as Amiti slipped it on his ring finger, expanding as it went further down. Finally, it contracted when Amiti let go, grasping his finger. He was left staring in awe at the magical ring (which was also quite beautiful) for a couple seconds, before a thought came to his mind. Tyrell looked up at Amiti. _

"_Why not Eoleo?" Tyrell asked. "He can't heal himself either."  
Amiti was silent for awhile._

"_I'm not sure Eoleo would return it to me, and I know for-sure you would," Amiti said, with what looked like guilty smile. _

Maybe he still hasn't gotten over that whole distrusting pirates thing_, Tyrell thought. _

"_Um… do you wanna play cards," Amiti asked._

"_Sure, sure," Tyrell agreed, and the two went up to the deck together._

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Town on the road to Belinsk, very early morning**_

Tyrell was jolted awake from his dream, which seemed suspiciously like a memory. He was sweating. And he had a burning pain on his left hand's ring finger.

He looked at that silver ring that was still on that finger. _I forgot to return this, in all the chaos that was happening at Apollo Sanctum, _he thought. _I must return it. _

But he wouldn't have the opportunity to for awhile. When he and the others had returned, their parents had vanished, and there was a huge Psynergy Vortex near their home in the canyon. So they had trekked back East, hoping to find information or assistance of some sort. And now they found themselves back in Morgal. They would be in the capital soon. That took precedence.

He hadn't told anyone else about the ring, ever. He wouldn't flaunt such a valuable item to people he didn't know. Matthew and Karis, meanwhile, would have no restraint teasing him about it. He was well aware that the giving of a ring could be misunderstood in a certain way. He would never hear the end of it.

Tyrell didn't know if he'd ever see Amiti again. He sure hoped we would, though.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Tuaparang Airship, midday**_

"So, Myalkni, my son," Arcanus said, "how was growing up in the Ayuthay court?"

The first thing that came to mind was that he hated it because he could never relax and had no friends. But he wouldn't _say _that.

"It was great. I got, literally, treated like a prince every day," he breathed icily.

It sounded corny, but that was the best Myalkni could manage. He was greatly tempted to add that life was perfect because Arcanus hadn't been there, but he was considerably afraid of his daily round with Latakia getting started early.

"Oh, don't lie to me, my son. You know you hated it there."

_Of course, _Myalkni thought, _he's reading my mind. So why even talk to me out loud? _

"The nobles are unworthy parasites," Myalkni spat. "Even after the Alchemy Well was restored," he said bitterly, "we had a famine in Ayuthay, just because the nobles decided to hoard the grain and sell it at ridiculous prices. People starved, and they unfairly blamed the monarchy instead of the nobles. Queen Zanfina was assassinated because of how angry the people were… "

Myalkni knew he shouldn't be telling Arcanus these things. But Arcanus could read his mind anyways, so what was the point in holding back?

"What would you do with the nobles, if you were in charge?" Arcanus inquired.

_Oh, what the hell. _"I would probably slowly wrest power from them, so they could never do something like that again. Ayuthay needs a powerful monarchy to keep them in check. But I wouldn't succeed. They hate me already."

"Well, if you ever do become king, I wish you luck in salvaging your country, my son," Arcanus said, smiling.

"…Thank you."

"Your mother once told me that she'd like to dump them all in a volcano." In spite of himself, Myalkni let out a laugh.

_I'm enjoying this too much, _he thought to himself. _I can't let myself open up… once I let him in, I'll never get him out, _he worried. _No, _he thought, _I'm just finally savoring the opportunity to badmouth the nobles, after all these years. I'm definitely not _enjoying _having a conversation with Arcanus. _And perhaps, also, this was a bit of a treat for him after hours upon hours of boredom every day in a prison cell, followed by hours of physical and emotional torture.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Belinsk Palace, midday**_

Matthew stared in awe as the doors to the royal chamber of the Belinsk Palace opened. He had been inside twice before, but its granite walls and elaborate chandeliers still amazed him.

Karis and Tyrell followed Matthew down the long hallway to the throne.

As they approached, Matthew noticed that Sveta was surrounded by haughty-looking advisors. Sveta he could talk to, but he wasn't so sure about these advisors. _I'm just a common boy, _he thought_. _Never mind that he was the son of Isaac of Vale. He didn't feel comfortable here.

Sveta was looking rather distraught, but her face lit up when she caught sight of the trio.

"Welcome!" she shouted. "So what brings you here?"

Karis opened her mouth to respond, but was stopped by the huge sound of the chamber's doors being thrown open.

Matthew whipped around to see what looked like a young wolf dashing through the chamber toward the throne. The wolf stopped in front of Sveta, stood on its hind legs, and then changed into a human-form beastman boy. He was tall, but also somehow… cubbish, Matthew thought. His ears and tail were pricked up, as if on alert.

The courier fell onto his knees, cocked his head up at Sveta, and broke into a salute. "Queen Sveta! I bring grave news! The humans of the Eastern regions are revolting!" he barked, as he handed a letter to her. After she took the letter, he changed back into beast form.

"Thank you, Zarelgy," said Sveta. She patted the fur between the wolf's ears. "You are dismissed." She gave a grateful smile that looked forced.

Zarelgy dashed off at the same speed as before.

Sveta, who now looked like she might've lost a parent, handed the letter to a thick-robed man standing beside her, and he read the letter with a booming voice.

It spoke of a rebellion of "furless humans" centered in Sahha, threatening the stability of all of Morgal. The rebels apparently claimed the whole Eastern part of Morgal, including Kolima and Rago, as part of a separate state they would establish. This jeopardized Morgal's access to the Eastern seas, and the loss of Port Rago would damage trade.

After the man finished reading, Sveta's advisors began a frenzy of shouting back and forth about what to do. In the middle, on the throne, sat a very flustered Sveta, looking torn and overwhelmed. She said nothing, but clawed up the chair's arms. Matthew was fond of Sveta, but at that moment, she looked like a weak ruler. Meanwhile, her guests were being completely neglected.

He heard a few comments about slimy human pigs. Matthew could almost sense Tyrell restraining himself. Some advisors spoke of Sveta's duty to crush the uprising with maximum force to avoid looking weak. They decried attempts to "divide Morgal" as plots of Bilibin or Sana, who were testing Morgal; they claimed most Easterners were loyal to the "great Morgal nation." If Sveta gave in, Morgal would be attacked, they claimed. Others condemned "slimy human treachery" and recalled how some fought on Sana's side when in Morgal's own independence struggle.

The other group of advisors disagreed, arguing that crushing the uprising would only create more resentment, and would legitimize the rebels' goals. They warned that warring with the rebels could jeopardize efforts to recover from the Grave Eclipse. Instead, they urged Sveta to negotiate with the rebels, who might have some legitimate complaints. One claimed Volechek had neglected the East, and that Sveta could win back their loyalty by working with them to solve basic problems. This advisor was condemned by for insulting the deceased King Volechek, who was called Morgal's hero.

Another said Volechek was a battlefield hero, but a misguided ruler. He emphasized that Volechek's lighting of the Luna Tower had caused the Grave Eclipse, which had cost so many Morgallian lives and tarred Morgal's reputation across Angara. Matthew noted with disappointment that this man didn't seem to care about the non-Morgallian lives lost in the Eclipse.

Throughout the whole thing, Sveta looked like she was about to cry.

Matthew was saddened by this whole situation. In Matthew's worldview, all people were good, and only wanted the best for themselves and those they loved. He thought both the humans and beastmen had just motives, and was saddened by how their conflicting goals made them fight.

Suddenly, the doors to the chamber were flung open again. Zarelgy came rushing down the aisle to the throne.

"Queen Sveta! An urgent message from the Kingdom of Ayuthay!"

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Tuaparang Airship, midday**_

"Follow me," Arcanus instructed. Myalkni followed him to a window on the edge of the huge Tuaparang airship.

"Look out the window."

Myalkni did as instructed.

"What do you see?"

"The view is amazing." Myalkni had never seen Weyard from above before. They were fairly high up, and he could see most of Morgal, a big chunk of Sana, and much of the sea to the east.

Arcanus pointed at what looked like a group of green clumps. "Do you know what that is?"

"The Kolima Forest?" Myalkni guessed.

"Yes, the Kolima Forest. Ever been there?"

"Yes… It was very beautiful"

"Did you know this forest was almost wiped out? The ruling Lord McCoy of Bilibin wanted an enormous palace for his wife… For timber, he planned to deforest it all. He didn't actually need so much, but his wife urged him to flaunt the power of the royal family."

Myalkni had heard this story many times before. It always filled his heart with anger.

"If not for Tret's retaliation, the whole forest would be gone," Arcanus concluded.

"The McCoys had utterly no right to do that," Myalkni said bitterly. Their selfishness and hubris angered him. They had no idea that Divine Forest Gods had resided in Kolima, and they were bent on destroying it. If they had been successful, Weyard would have lost the tree spirits _forever_, and it would be impossible to reverse.

"Wouldn't you stop these things if you could?"

Myalkni wondered where Arcanus was going with this.

"You talked earlier about the corruption of Ayuthay's nobles," Arcanus said, leading him on.

"I suppose monarchs can be just as bad."

"And just like you talked about reining in the nobles… wouldn't it make sense for there to be someone kings must answer to?"

_I suppose that makes sense, _Myalkni thought. _Otherwise there's no one to stop kings from doing horrible things. _

"I'm not only talking about preserving the forests, but also every other abuse these rulers commit," Arcanus continued.

_This actually might not be such a bad idea. _

"What do you think of wars, my son?" Arcanus asked.

"I never appreciated peace until I lived through Kaocho's war on Ayuthay." Myalkni remembered living under the siege that Kaocho's armies had brought. No one could leave the city, and there was always constant fear of Kaocho breaching their defenses and destroy their lives.

"That's a good way to look at it. As for me, I see war as a humongous waste of human lives and resources. People naturally want to spend their time improving their lives and societies. War is a distraction that costs too many lives."

_I've never really thought of it that way, but that's so true, in so many ways. _Myalkni thought. Maybe he'd been misunderstanding Arcanus, all this time.

A voice in his head dissented, saying Arcanus was a murderer, and warning Myalkni not to let Arcanus seduce him with pretty words. But Myalkni listened to Arcanus. What Arcanus was saying was interesting.

"All of this can be done away with. Corrupt rulers making selfish decisions causing the suffering of the common people, wars that senselessly kill hordes of people, petty squabbles between tiny kingdoms that sow hatred where there should be cooperation. It can all go," Arcanus said. "And you can help."

_What does he mean?_

"I'll tell you more… but first, you'll have to take a vow."

Arcanus snapped his fingers, and the room's lighting seemed to darken. Ghostlike hands holding candles appeared all around the pair.

"A… vow?" Myalkni said, astonished at how suddenly the situation had changed.

"Yes, my son, a vow," asserted Arcanus, now looking intensely at Myalkni. "A binding vow that you will eternally be loyal to this goal and my quest to attain it."

Myalkni was taken aback. This was too sudden. He couldn't say anything.

"Okay, I can see you're not ready. I'll give you some time to make your choice," he said, and left.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Belinsk Palace, early afternoon **_

Tyrell listened intently as he learned of Amiti's disappearance and Rief's encounter with Alex. The letter concluded by suggesting that Alex was Amiti's likely kidnapper, and that both could be found at Talon Peak's northern base.

Unsurprisingly, as soon as the announcer finished, the snotty beastman advisors began arguing. Tyrell wasn't sure how much more of this nonsense he could stand. He wanted to scream at them all to shut the hell up already. _After all, we have an important message for you too, but we are getting completely ignored here, _he thought angrily. He had already struggled to hold in an outburst many times. He tried not to listen to them speak, because that would only make him angry, but rather to think about other things. This time it wasn't working though.

"…Well, we have the Children of the Warriors of Vale here with us," he heard a kittypup advisor muse.

This angered Tyrell in many ways. First, it demonstrated the advisors _knew_ the adepts were present, yet _chose_ to ignore them. Second of all, Tyrell figured from the advisor's tone that they were thinking of using him and his friends as tools, reminding him of his experience in Kaocho.

Most importantly though, it reminded Tyrell of how he eternally stood in his father's shadow a source of anxiety for Tyrell ever since he was a small child. His father was such a great man, having been one of the Warriors of Vale who helped save the world. Tyrell thought his father was ideal in every way: brave, handsome, strong, clever, polished, cultured despite his commoner background… And so was his mother, despite him never getting to know her because she left when he was only three years old. Tyrell was always expected to grow up to fit into his father's shoes, but feared he couldn't. For him, it was a _duty_ to live up to his father's example.

Tyrell wasn't afraid of many things. He had never shared his friends' various fears of crowds (Matthew), night (Karis), heights (Rief) or surprise attacks (Amiti). And yet, he was horribly afraid of "degenerating" from his father, of being an unworthy son. It didn't help that both his father and Matthew's played on this fear when reprimanding him. He could still hear his father's thundering in his head at times.

The three adepts were definitely the conversation topic, though, and it irked Tyrell. This time, he didn't restrain himself.

"Instead of talking about whether you should use us in front of our faces," he blurted, "why don't you just ask us if we want to help save the prince. We're right here."

The astonished advisors all stared at him, making him feel somewhat awkward.

"And the answer is YES!"

Everyone gaped at him, including Karis and Matthew.

"Tyrell, first of all you need to mind your manners here in the court," Karis preached. "Second, we weren't discussing whether we _want _to save Amiti, but whether we_ should. _And that's questionable."

_How dare she question whether Amiti should be saved?_ _Does she want to just abandon him?!_

"Well spoken, young lady," an advisor said. "You seem question the wisdom of a rescue operation. What is your reasoning?"

"Well," Karis replied, "this seems eerily familiar. Before, he used Hou Ju and Eoleo as bait to trick us into helping activate the Luna Tower… This time, Amiti is the bait. Alex is just like an anglerfish, and we shouldn't charge right into his trap without planning first."

Tyrell saw the advisors around the room staring at Karis with respect. Sveta was urged not to repeat the same mistake as "the Sanans and Valeans did." Tyrell noted angrily how eager Morgallians were to blame the Eclipse on him and his friends, rather than their conceited former king who had orchestrated it.

Tyrell was furious. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had expected resistance from advisors, but not _Karis. _

Her logic made perfect sense. Maybe she had a good point. He wasn't sure what to do.

For a second, the finger of the ring seared with pain, just like it had the previous night, reminding him of the dream. Tyrell was filled with resolve to rescue Amiti as soon as possible. Who knew what Alex was putting Amiti through, every second they wasted. He didn't want Amiti to go through that.

Tyrell listened intently to the conversation that was occurring in the hall. Some were saying saving Amiti was irrelevant, that the real issue Sveta should worry about was the presence of the Tuaparang on Morgal territory- and worse, on territory adjacent to a rebellion. Some argued dealing with the rebellion was more important. Some warned against walking into Alex's trap, and suggested that Amiti being captured was just a hoax.

Eventually, one advisor suggested taking a month to plan a major military operation in Northeastern Morgal, to root out both the Tuaparang and rebels. With luck, he said, they might "even" be able to find Prince Amiti. Many people, including Karis, nodded in agreement. Another advisor suggested that another couple weeks be devoted to gathering more info on the situation. More approval followed. Nobody was questioning the notion of postponing rescuing Amiti for months. Matthew of course wouldn't say a word, Karis seemed to agree, and worst of all, Sveta seemed to be persuaded by the consensus.

Tyrell decided that, no matter how Karis might reprimand him, he had to speak up again.

"Amiti helped end the Eclipse! You should talk about returning the favor," Tyrell cried. "Instead, you'll help when its _convenient, _after you've studied the situation. But there's no time for that! Ayuthay requested help _urgently_, because with its prince missing, trouble brews. But you just sit around having a pleasant discussion!"

He glanced around and saw the advisors staring with a mix of offended pride and contempt. He saw Karis looking embarrassed by his behavior. He wasn't persuading anyone. _They're so caught up in themselves, they don't even listen, _he thought angrily. _Well, so be it. _

Tyrell rubbed the ringed finger. He was determined to rescue his friend, stuffy royal endorsement or not. And he didn't care what Karis or even Matthew thought anymore either.

"Well, you guys can chat all you want, but I'm done here," Tyrell stated, and he began walking down the long aisle.

"My queen," an advisor shouted. "We cannot allow him to attempt it alone. He could exacerbate the situation!"

"Tyrell, stop!" cried Karis. "We have to collaborate with the court!"

Tyrell was furious. He had no duty to Morgal, he was a free person. He was tired of being commanded. "You're not gonna stop me," he called, almost tauntingly, as he doubled his pace down the aisle.

Tyrell heard the advisors yelling for Sveta to do something. He turned around and saw a rather stressed Sveta literally tear off part of the cloth on the arms of her throne.

"We can't let him escape, Queen Sveta! He will endanger all of Morgal," an advisor cried.

As he ran, Tyrell heard Sveta's quivering voice command guards to barricade the door.

"You'll let me through, or I'll blast your pretty doorway to smithereens!" Tyrell thundered defiantly. With his right hand, he conjured up a flame to intimidate them.

Suddenly, a whirlwind blew his flame out. Before he knew it, Matthew and Karis were upon him, each tugging one of his arms.

"Let me go!" he cried.

"Please, Tyrell… calm down," Matthew begged. "We're _will_ save Amiti, I promise. Just calm down… We can't start fighting Sveta's people."

Tyrell considered what Matthew was saying for a moment. Maybe Matthew was right. But Tyrell doubted that people here even wanted Amiti rescued or would even allow it. _Matthew is just doing what Karis wants,_ _as always, _Tyrell thought. _I won't let Matthew choose between us two. I'll choose for him. _

Tyrell used his superior strength to fling Matthew aside, sending the latter sprawling back a couple feet before he caught himself. Matthew looked sadly up at Tyrell, and then backed off.

"Seize him!" someone commanded.

With every second, the guards came nearer. He didn't want to be thrown in Belinsk Jail. He had to escape, fast, without harming Karis in front of Matthew- which meant using the last resort, though he hated to.

"Karis!" he bellowed, for the chamber to hear. "You tell Sveta to let me go, or I reveal a secret of yours that Belinsk might be _quite_ interested in."

The guards froze. Matthew gave Tyrell another pleading look. Others looked with curiosity. Karis glared at him, looking both betrayed and livid.

"You _wouldn't_," she hissed.

"You sure?" Tyrell taunted.

Karis turned around, defeated. "Sveta," she called. "Let Tyrell go, or we will never speak again."

Sveta hesitated, torn as usual, before decreeing that Tyrell could leave the city as he wished.

Her advisors stared with appalled shock and protested. His friends all looked miserable. He hoped they'd forgive him. For a second, Tyrell felt a little sorry. He suppressed the feeling.

This was the first time in ages Karis hadn't gotten her way with him. But he didn't feel a bit triumphant. He had a job to do.

Tyrell rushed to the inn to gather anything he might need.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**Next Chapter: Oaths and Wills  
**

AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
**1. It would really mean a lot to me if you were to review :). It helps inspires me to write.  
**

2. I like surprising my readers :).

3. Zarelgy is from Mongol _zarlaga, _meaning messenger. For the names of Morgallians, I will use a mix of Russian, Mongol and Tibetan. In the canon, Sveta's name is Russian, and Volechek's Japanese name, Bortechino, is Mongol.


	6. Chapter 6: Oaths and Wills

Before notes:

**1. I had to do this chapter without a Beta Reader… so reviews are VEEEEERY helpful.  
**

2. There is DawnShipping. If you for some reason greatly dislike that, skip the "Belinsk Inn, evening" part.

3. Like others, this chapter starts off slow, but builds up (the next chapter will start off "fast" though :) ).

**CHAPTER 6: OATHS AND WILLS**

******_~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~_**

_**Tuaparang Airship**_

Myalkni watched as Arcanus closed the door and it latched shut.

Suddenly, what had just almost happened dawned upon him. The spirits, the candles… _it was exactly how the stories described it_… He had almost locked himself into an oath of the soul. He would have been bound for life. How had he missed it?

Myalkni was furious with himself. He had let Arcanus' silver tongue fool him; he had let down his guard. He had let Arcanus slowly wrap him with the soft silk of deceit, and before long he would have been trapped in a cocoon forever. He would have been Arcanus' slave _for eternity. _

The more he pondered it, the more questionable Arcanus' ideas seemed. Myalkni remembered how Ayuthay had fought for its freedom against Sana and Kaocho. The notion of giving up Ayuthay's sovereignty to some massive empire sickened him. And the notion that this empire would bring peace was also absurd to Myalkni- how many lives would be taken conquering the various nations? How many to keep them under control?

The logic was also self-defeating, Myalkni thought. If kings could be just as rotten as nobles, surely, emperors could be horrible too. Then, the whole realm would suffer, rather than just a couple lands.

_Considering that this is the Tuaparang's plot, _Myalkni thought, _that mysterious High Empyror is probably supposed to rule it all. That's ridiculous. How can he claim to be the bringer of peace when he masterminded the Grave Eclipse? _

Arcanus certainly seemed to buy into the idea. Myalkni wondered if perhaps Arcanus was planning to seize the imperial throne for himself. After all, Arcanus certainly did have a habit of double-crossing allies.

_I don't know what role I'm supposed to play in this plot, but I want absolutely no part in it, _resolved Myalkni, as he headed for the door.

Myalkni steeled himself. He needed to be sure to resist whatever trap Arcanus would pull this time...

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Belinsk Castle**_

As per Sveta's decree, Tyrell left without resistance, despite the advisers' warnings.

For awhile, everyone in Sveta's chamber stared, shocked at how quickly the situation had changed. Sveta looked completely miserable, and Karis herself was horrified at how quickly a simple visit to Sveta had turned into a confrontation where Tyrell could easily have landed himself in Belinsk's jail. It was as if she had been walking on a pleasant familiar road and suddenly fell into a ditch that hadn't been there before.

"Is your brutish companion always so… hazardous?" one of the advisers asked Karis and Matthew.

Karis was stunned. True, she had always viewed Tyrell as a sort of loose cannon, but hearing him called "hazardous" made her feel almost defensive for him. He's a human being, not some toxic waste or rabid animal, she wanted to say. But she didn't, of course.

"Sure, he can be a bit brash," Matthew replied, "but he's not brutish. He has a good heart. We've all been through difficult times, and this is a tough situation. Please forgive him."

"Whether we forgive him is beside the point," spat an adviser darkly. "He has become a hazard, and we must pursue damage control… whatever that entails."

"Because of his brash and selfish actions… he is no longer our guest and we're not responsible for whatever happens to him," added another. And then, one by one, the advisors each made statements expressing in ever greater terms their frustration with Tyrell, and what a liability he had become.

"Everyone, please," cried Sveta. "Morgal owes Tyrell greatly, because he helped end the eclipse."

The advisors hung their heads apologetically, but Karis noted that some looked rather insincere in the act.

"And please, don't disparage him so. We all worked together as a group to end the eclipse, and Amiti was one of us too. I believe he is only trying to save a close friend, rather than just acting selfishly."

Karis silently thanked Sveta.

"Um… I'll go… try to talk some sense into him," Matthew said, managing a hopeful smile. "I'm sure I can get him to come around."

"Good luck," Karis called. _This is why I like him, _she thought. Matthew's sunny smile always brought light to any situation. It reminded her that it wasn't so bad, that any situation could improve.

Once Matthew was gone, though, that light left with him. In no time, Sveta's advisers were anxiously speculating the various ways Tyrell could exacerbate the situation further.

What if Alex captured him and made him another hostage- or an unknowing servant? What if the rebels captured him? Could he become involved in the fighting in the region?

Karis had a bold idea, but at first she was unsure. _Well, _she told herself, _if I wait too long, I may lose my chance._

"Queen Sveta," called Karis, "may I have a private audience with you?"

Sveta quickly concurred, and dismissed all of her advisers.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Belinsk Inn, late afternoon**_

Tyrell had almost finished packing when he heard knocking on the door.

"Hello, Tyrell," Matthew said cheerfully.

"Hullo, Matthew…"

"Listen… I'm really sorry that-"

Tyrell cut him off. "No, no, Matthew. _I'm _really sorry, man. You don't have to be. I made a major disruption in the court because I lost my head. You don't have to tell me what I did wrong; I already know it. M'sorry for everything."

"So what are you going to do now?" Matthew asked.

"I'm going to rescue Amiti, of course."

Matthew sighed. "Aren't at least a little worried that you're walking into a trap?"

"'Doesn't bother me."

"Well, I always did admire your bravery," Matthew commented with a smile.

Tyrell smirked guiltily. "It always ends well, though."

"But I won't be accompanying you, if that's what you think," Matthew said.

"I never assumed you would," Tyrell replied. "I'd never make you. Why not, though?"

"I don't want more problems with the court and I don't want to make it worse for Sveta," Matthew explained.

_And you don't want to anger Karis, _thought Tyrell.

"Besides, it doesn't hurt to have us back here as backup, in case you need rescuing." Matthew added.

"Sure," Tyrell said, resuming packing.

"We kinda forgot about the whole Psynergy Vortexes issue, didn't we?" Tyrell mused, after a while.

"Yeah we did. We should bring that up next time we see Sveta."

"You will," Tyrell corrected. "I'll be gone. In fact, I'm about ready to go now."

"Tyrell… is there nothing I can say to make you at least wait a little?"

"Nothing. I'm not going to wait around while Amiti's imprisoned." Tyrell involuntarily rubbed the ring again.

"Well, good luck then… Is there anything at all I can do for you?"

"Whack up all those stuffy old farts Sveta spends her time with," Tyrell said flatly.

Both of them laughed.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Belinsk Castle**_

"Sveta, I am so sorry about all this trouble. You know how Tyrell can be sometimes. He always has to prove himself. Did I ever tell you about the Soarwing?"

"Yes, you have… I think its different, though. To me, he seemed somehow dominated by purpose, determined to rescue Amiti. He was afraid that if he cooperated, he would be hindered too much."

Karis opened her mouth to say that she knew Tyrell well enough, but stopped herself, suspecting that Sveta had read Tyrell's mind. "Well, whatever it is, I'm greatly sorry for the trouble it causes for you."

"Don't worry … I never liked politics. Morgal is already so tormented with crises left and right, it doesn't seem to make a difference any more," confided Sveta.

Somehow, that didn't make Karis feel better.

"I don't think Matthew will be able to persuade him… seeing how unwavering he was," Sveta worried.

"No, I don't think so either. That's why I need to talk to you..." Karis agreed, her voice trailing off at the end.

Sveta gazed patiently. Karis was going to give a leadup, but she figured Sveta was reading her mind anyways.

"I will go too," she stated.

Sveta didn't look the least surprised. _I knew it, _Karis thought. Sveta could have a bit more respect for privacy, but Karis supposed she'd never know the stress Sveta was under. Being able to read minds was probably immensely useful for a ruler.

"I know it increases the risk," Karis conceded, "but it will also tip the odds more in our favor. I'll do my best to keep Tyrell out of trouble."

"Well, I won't try to stop you. But I have four requests of you," Sveta said. "First, avoid getting involved with the separatists at all costs. Second, don't leave Morgal's borders in pursuit of Alex. Third, please don't let anyone know about this."

"Thank you. I won't, I promise," vowed Karis.

"And lastly," concluded Sveta with a slight smile, "don't forget to bid farewell to

Matthew."

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Tuaparang Airship**_

Latakia leaned forward in a chair, with one leg folded over the other. She watched with interest as the door opened and Myalkni emerged.

What would he choose? Arcanus had predicted that his son would agree to the oath, but Latakia wasn't so sure. Arcanus was a master at words, but Myalkni seemed to be a very cynical person. She had seen how stubborn he was, how he insisted on questioning everything. Myalkni was one of those foolish people who held on to principles. _He doesn't know how the world really is, not like I do_. As soon as Arcanus' silver tongue stopped, he'd question everything Arcanus had said. He'd refuse. Latakia wasn't deceived either, of course, but that wouldn't make her refuse.

Latakia knew very well that Arcanus was an expert at manipulating others, but this time his plan seemed pretty faulty. She was sure it'd fail- and it was better for her that way. She grinned sheepishly.

She saw Myalkni gaze her way. _Is he unable to bear looking at his father, _she wondered, _or are his eyes drawn to me? _She smiled sweetly and cracked her knuckles loudly.

He quickly looked away. His right hand fell across his chest to twist the ends of his hairs on the left side. _Yes, tug on that scalp. Look nervous; you should be. _

Myalkni's eyes wandered back over to her. She cracked another knuckle, and his eyes darted back to Arcanus, before slowly returning to her. _You're telling yourself you're only looking at the window next to me, aren't you? _

"Hullo, Myalkni," she called.

"Hullo, Latak-ya…" he mumbled. His head turned to her, but now his eyes avoided her.

"Well," Arcanus said eagerly,"I will soon tell you how we will together go about salvaging this land… but first, you must swear your eternal fidelity to my objective. What is your decision? "

Latakia saw Arcanus silently clasp his hands behind his back. The room darkened. Ghost-borne candles materialized.

Myalkni turned abruptly back to Arcanus, still pulling at his hair. "I have thought about it…"

Latakia held her breath, worrying that her prediction was only wishful thinking.

"…and my answer is no."

_I knew it, _Latakia thought triumphantly.

"Then… Latakia, he is _all _yours," Arcanus said, somewhat dejectedly.

Myalkni twitched, alarmed.

"Don't worry, you won't be cooped up in your cell. You're going on a…_ trip_, with your friend."

"Oh, I can't wait," Myalkni grumbled.

"What was that?" Arcanus demanded, seizing Myalkni's arm.

Latakia decided to rescue him. "Milord Arcanus, we are running a little late of schedule. I humbly request that we two prepare to depart now."

"Permission granted," said Arcanus, releasing Myalkni.

"Wait… where are we going," Myalkni asked.

"You'll see," Latakia replied, giving her knuckles another crack.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Belinsk Inn, evening **_

Karis burst through the door, panting.

"Hey Karis," Matthew called. "What did I miss in the palace?"

"It doesn't matter."

Matthew looked up, alarmed. "What's up?"

"Tyrell left already, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. I couldn't get him to stay," said Matthew.

"Then I'm going with him," declared Karis.

"What? Why?!" Matthew demanded.

"I need to keep him out of trouble. There're so many ways it can go wrong. With me there, he'll at least _hear _the voice of reason."

Matthew stared disbelievingly at her. "Wasn't this just what you feared though, getting sucked into a trap?"

Karis ignored him. "I've already got Sveta's permission."

"I'll go too, then," said Matthew, standing up.

"No, please, don't," Karis said, gesturing with her hands as if to push him back.

"Why not?" asked Matthew. He looked vaguely like an abandoned puppy. She'd been dreading this. If it weren't for Sveta, she might not have gotten herself to tell him, because she feared this exact situation. _Please let this be over soon, _she begged silently.

"Please, I don't want to have this discussion, Matthew. I need to go."

"Why won't you at least say why I can't go?" demanded Matthew.

"I didn't want it to be this way… I'm not pushing you away, I swear. I don't want to leave you. Please understand," pleaded Karis.

"We've gone through so much, together!" exclaimed Matthew, talking over her. "Why not now?!"

"Matthew, we can't _all _go!" Karis shouted. "If we all go, then there'll be an adept of each type within Alex's reach. It'll be just like before!"

"No it won't!" yelled Matthew. "We were stupid back then! But now, _together, _we can foil him, I'm sure!"

"Matthew, I love your optimism, but right now you're just being conceited!" shouted Karis. "I'm going, and you're not chasing me!"

Matthew recoiled, looking stung and hurt.

"Oh Matthew, please don't be like that!" she pleaded.

Before she knew it she had fallen into his arms. "It's really hard for me, too, you know. Everything's been so sudden…" she confided.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled, realizing she was tearing up.

"It's okay…"

In spite of herself, she put her lips to his. For a while, she forgot her purpose, and lost herself in his embrace. It wasn't until she felt Matthew's hand sliding down her back that she released her hold.

"I… don't have enough time. Have I already lost the chance to catch Tyrell?"

Matthew sighed. "Don't worry. I know where he probably is. I know him well," he said, as he released her. "But before you go, I have something for you."

Matthew quickly returned, bearing the Echo Gem.

"Wh-where'd you get that," Karis asked, shocked.

"Hou Ju me gave the pair," Matthew replied. "This one is for you. I'll at least know where you are."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," swore Karis.

"We'll say… I'll come looking after a month or so?"

"That sounds good," agreed Karis. "Now, where can I find Tyrell?"

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**East Morgal countryside, evening**_

"So, Myalkni, what would you rather happen?" Latakia asked, after informing him of the conflict in eastern Morgal.

Myalkni had no idea why he was being asked this, but he knew better than trying lying. "Sveta'd better let the rebels have their own country."

"But I thought she was your friend."

"She is, but it doesn't change my viewpoint," asserted Myalkni. "She isn't responsible for this mess, her conceited brother was."

"But why do you think are the rebels justified?" Latakia inquired.

"Morgal's position is hypocritical. It wasn't long ago that they fought for their own independence from Sana, which was abusing them. Morgal itself abused its humans, and thus lost the right to rule their lands."

"So Morgal's reasons for its own secession from Sana were hypocritical and flawed?"

"No. Morgal wanted independence, and Sana was oppressing them… Since Morgallians didn't want to be ruled by Sana, it had no right to," Myalkni countered.

"So the violence against the Sanans living in Morgal doesn't bother you?" Latakia asked. "I'm just playing devil's advocate."

_Yes, you certainly are a devil's advocate, _Myalkni thought. "They shouldn't have done that, but the Sanans shouldn't have been colonizing them in the first place. You can't just invade foreign lands and then claim eternal ownership like Sana does."

"Interesting," Latakia said, clearly amused. She was looking at him like he was some adorably naïve child.

"It's completely logical," Myalkni argued defensively. "After all, when two children are fighting, the solution is always to separate them from each other… I hope that Sveta realizes Morgal would be better off letting the humans go."

Latakia looked even more amused. "None of this matters, it's all irrelevant to me. But I find it… _quaint... _that you are so passionate about this."

_I wouldn't make you listen to this if I didn't think you'd whip me for lying, _Myalkni protested silently. "If it doesn't matter, why ask?"

"Because, today, you will play a role in this story," answered Latakia, smirking.

"Soon," Latakia continued, "Queen Sveta will be informed of how murderous human rebels attacked a whole caravan of Morgal nomads to the ground. Yurts burnt to ashes, horses burnt to ashes, and Morgal citizens _all_ burnt to ashes."

Myalkni was disturbed by how she seemed to relish this. "Why would the rebels do that? It'll destroy their image and the possibility of Sveta negotiating with them."

"You're a smart one," Latakia cooed. "Yes, it will. That's why it'll happen."

"But why would they do it?" Myalkni demanded.

"They won't be the ones who do it," Latakia replied.

Myalkni had a horrible suspicion. "Who'll do it, then?"

"Us."

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Steakhouse restaurant on the edge of Belinsk, dusk**_

Karis looked in the window of the steakhouse, and sure enough, there was Tyrell. Surely, he was enjoying his fourth-or-so serving. _Matthew sure does know Tyrell well, _Karis thought.

She saw Tyrell look up from his steak and see her, suddenly looking dismayed. _So you thought I'd let you escape, huh? _

She gave the door a gentle knock and told the waiter that she was with another patron. She then promptly sat down across from Tyrell.

The waiter turned to Tyrell. "Perhaps you would like to order a serving for your sweetheart, young man?" he asked. Tyrell almost choked on his food.

_Well, I guess I did make it look like that, _Karis figured. "I'd like two ribs, please," she requested.

"Coming right up," said the waiter, who left immediately, without even looking at Tyrell, who was glaring at her.

"What the heck are y-"

She put her hand over his mouth. "Quiet, _honey_, or the Morgal army will chase us," she whispered.

That shut him up for a couple seconds.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered furiously.

"What do you think? I'm coming with you."

"Since when have we been married, and do you think I'll pay for this?" he hissed.

"I have money too," she said.

Tyrell sighed exasperatedly. "How did you know I was here?"

"You're very predictable. And that's why you need me to help you."

"…Fine. You can come, whatever," agreed Tyrell grudgingly. He knew he'd already lost the argument. "But you can't be a control freak. I don't have to do _everything_ you say, got it?"

The waiter arrived with Karis' steak. "We're closing soon, so you'll need to pay right now," he told Tyrell.

Tyrell gave him a handful of coins and the waiter counted them.

"What about your wife's order? Geez, what kinda man are you?"

"Oh, sorry, I, uh… miscounted, I think," Tyrell apologized, shooting Karis a furious look.

"Well, pay up," the waiter commanded.

Tyrell gave him the coins, still glowering.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Valley side overlooking caravan resting site; west of Port Rago, dusk  
**_

Myalkni stood beside Latakia, on the side of a valley. It was fairly shallow valley, and he could hear the voices of people in the city. He was close enough to see the figures of people moving about as well.

He heard a mother calling for her children to stop running around outside; that they needed to come inside and get to bed. And like typical children, they weren't thrilled about bedtime and refused to come in. The mother had to chase them down.

Myalkni's stomach felt so empty he thought he'd deflate or something. _How am I ever going to live with myself after I do this? _He reminded himself that he had no choice.

_ Wait a minute… do I? _

Myalkni looked around. There was a thick forest in which he could dispose of Latakia. Once he had finished her off, he could go back to the caravan and request their hospitality. Sometimes it could be quite convenient to be a prince.

After a while, Myalkni had his plan all thought out. He wouldn't repeat his mistake of hesitating again.

"Latakia," he whispered. "Look at that over there!"

No response.

"Latakia!" he hissed again.

Silence. She was staring into the empty sky above the town. She seemed to be either asleep or in a trance. Whatever it was, Myalkni wasn't going to lose his chance.

Gathering all the strength into the palm of his hand, he blasted Latakia with a jet of water. It twisted like a serpent as it rushed about her legs, shattering her balance. She cried out in shock and struggled, but Myalkni made sure the torrent continued to encircle her to prevent her escape.

He then froze the torrent into an array of sharp ice crystals. They all pointed in the circular direction of the current. Myalkni rotated their tips slightly inward.

If Latakia tried to escape, she would be stabbed. There wasn't enough ice for her to freeze to death, especially since the upper half of her body was above it. It was just enough to trap her for a time, until it melted. He'd have a good head start because she couldn't pursue him until then.

He knew Latakia couldn't call for help, because that would alert the Morgallians of her presence. Her whole plan to burn them all "to ashes" and have it blamed on the rebels would be over. But Myalkni also couldn't risk getting caught red-handed by felling her near the caravan.

"Latakia, remember the lake we passed on the way here?"

She nodded, clearly shaken.

"You can find me there," instructed Myalkni. Thankfully, they had followed a pretty clear path.

And with that, he ran into the forest as fast as he could, in the direction of the lake.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**Next Chapter: Living Death  
**

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

**1. Nobody has looked at this yet but myself. So I'd really, really appreciate if you let me know how it was. ****Criticism is more than welcome, if it's constructive.  
**

2. A yurt is a tent-like temporary shelter traditionally used by Central Asians. Since I interpret Morgal to have both Russian and Mongol aspects, a number of Morgal beastmen are traditionally nomadic, and use yurts, like Mongols.

**3. There is a poll posted on the top of my profile: What type of adept do you think Latakia is/should be? **If you're lazy, here's the url: /u/1681403/Yalens# (attach that to the fanfiction-dot-net url that I can't post). Please answer, it's easy.


	7. Chapter 7: Living Death

****Before-notes:

1. I had no beta to look at this before posting, so I'd really appreciate reviews. I really wanna know what you think :).

**CHAPTER 7: LIVING DEATH**

******_~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~_**

_**Forest in Eastern Morgal, late evening **_

Myalkni stopped to catch his breath, exhausted from all the running. He had hugely underestimated how far away that lake was. He forced himself to keep moving- he couldn't stop now.

_What if Latakia catches up to me, _worried Myalkni. Well, he'd have to fight her here, without the lake. He had no idea what kind of fighter she was, though he figured she'd probably use her scythe.

_She doesn't know how I fight either, _Myalkni reminded himself, trying to be optimistic. _Latakia also has more to lose, _he realized_. If she wins, I'll just return to my situation a little while ago, but if I win, she'll lose her life. _

But then, Myalkni realized his own life was actually at stake, in a different sense. Latakia couldn't kill him, of course, because she'd face Arcanus' wrath. But if she defeated him and bent him to her will, he would be enslaved forever. Then, Myalkni thought, his life will not be his own. _Once I've become an automaton, I won't really have a life in any meaningful sense any more. _

The coming battle with Latakia was his last chance to avert that fate. _Once I burn that caravan, I'll lose any self-respect I had, and I'll lose the will to resist Arcanus… I'd lose myself, forever. _

This train of thought made Myalkni terrified of losing. He slowed his pace, fearful that exhaustion could endanger his chances against Latakia.

Myalkni began feeling like he was being watched. He whipped around, only to see the motionless forest path. He knew monsters tended to seek out and attack those they sensed were exhausted or injured. The ice shouldn't have melted fast enough for Latakia to have caught up already, so it was more likely a monster stalking him- and that was worse, because it meant that he'd have to face a monster before facing Latakia.

He looked around. The shadows of the trees were getting very long, and what he could see of the sky was a dark red. It would soon be completely dark. Myalkni felt almost impatient for Latakia to come for him already. _No I don't want that, I'm so exhausted, _he reminded himself.

Myalkni heard a rustling noise behind him. He turned around to see a large clump in the dirt advancing towards him. He quickly jumped aside and it rushed passed him. Then, it turned around and rushed towards him again. He had no idea what this thing was- it seemed like the sand itself was moving at him.

Myalkni blasted the moving sand with a deluge of water. The sand swerved swiftly to the side, as if it was being blown by some strong gust. But there was none.

Myalkni continued blasting forth the water at the sand. Suddenly, huge, thorny nettles shot out of the ground, shielding the moving sand being, whatever it was. The plants rapidly grew, their tips encroaching upon Myalkni like tentacles, threatening to ensnare him. _All this water I've been blasting has probably helped that thing grow, _Myalkni thought grimly. He immediately halted the flow of water and froze what water there was, causing the plant to lurch back. Its tentacles began shriveling up and drying out.

Myalkni dashed away from the plant- thus, back toward the caravan. _Don't look back, don't look back, _he thought. But he couldn't restrain himself. When he turned around, his gaze was frozen in place by the sight of the nettle withering. It seemed to be slowly turning into sand. _This is bad, _Myalkni thought. _There's no doubt that was Psynergy. Whatever it is that's stalking me, it must be very dangerous. _

The sinister plant's large, elaborately patterned, mahogany flowers slowly were dissolving into sand, one petal at a time. Somehow, it mesmerized Myalkni. He couldn't wrench his head back to look where he was running.

Suddenly, something smashed into his leg, tripping him. Before he could catch his fall, a long, slimy vine wrapped itself around his chest and scooped him up. When he tried to draw his blade, another vine shot up and bound his arm. The more he struggled, the more the plant constricted him. He struggled, he squirmed, but it was to no avail.

Myalkni's ears were caught a sound resembling a desert wind, with a whistle to it. _Psynergy? _

Right in front of him, sand billowed up from the trail into a funnel. It flew around faster and faster until it seemed to assume a human form.

Latakia emerged from the dust.

_So it's her after all, _Myalkni thought grimly. _That's probably how she escaped the ice trap too; she probably dissolved into the sand. _

"You… thought… you could escape," Latakia said in between gasps. Myalkni realized that she sounded even more exhausted than he was. Knowing that, Myalkni wasn't going to waste a second.

Mustering his Psynergy, Myalkni drained all the water from the vines that were holding him. The vines withered away, releasing him. He then sent forth those vapors upon Latakia. Right before her, the vapors crystallized into ice shards, which Myalkni flung upon her. Latakia stumbled and fell. When she struggled to get up, Myalkni used what was left of the vapors to call forth a flowerlike ice formation, which arose from right beneath her. It rose to pummel her in the chest, sending her sprawling back.

Myalkni then drew his blade and charged forward, determined to finish her while she was down. The mystical blade glinted with a bright, greenish light, eager to taste flesh once again. A vine from a tree to his left flew into his path, but he lopped off its tip with his blade in an instant.

Before he could make it to her, however, Latakia had gotten up and drawn her scythe. Myalkni had never been trained to combat a scythe-wielder, but it was too late to stop his advance. _I'll feint from the right and nail her left flank, _he decided.

But as he lunged forward to, Latakia brought down her scythe's blade onto his extended arm. Latakia hopped backward as she did so, completely unscathed. Fortunately, her scythe hadn't plunged into Myalkni's flesh, but it had scraped it, cutting open his right underarm and unleashing a brief spray of blood.

Myalkni quickly healed himself as he ran backwards to escape Latakia's response attack. _With that scythe, she has a much greater range than I, _he realized. He also knew that the scythe's curve would circumvent any attempt to block it. He didn't know its full extension range either. _At least she's pretty worn out, _Myalkni thought, trying, and failing, to be optimistic. He was running on adrenaline and desperate to win this battle as soon as possible, terrified by the prospect of losing.

"Give up, there's no way I'll let you win!" she gasped. _"_Never_,_"he breathed defiantly, gasping for air. There was no way he could give up now.

Latakia was now advancing upon him, and Myalkni backpedaled as fast as he could. Clearly, Latakia was too fatigued to avoid being predictable, and when her scythe reached for him, he nimbly leapt backward, evading the swipe. He noticed that, perhaps due to her fatigue, Latakia took awhile to recover her position. Myalkni gingerly walked backward as he finished healing his wound. _Well, I can't let this battle drag on into the night, so I need to take a risk, _he decided. The two then charged at each other again. Myalkni motioned with his blade like he was going to attack, but then abruptly stopped himself when he approached her range. He stepped back, evading the scythe's counterattack. Then, as she slowly withdrew her scythe, he closed his eyes and went in for the kill. He knew that if he failed, it could be over for him. When he lunged, he threw himself as far forward as he could, vaguely hoping he could bypass the scythe's range.

He felt his sword penetrate flesh. _YES. _When he opened his eyes and yanked back his blade, he saw he had slashed her left forearm. For a second, Latakia's left arm clutched her chest, writhing in pain, as she stared with shock. But she wasn't defeated.

She swiped at him again, but instead of going back, he ducked and threw himself forward, bringing himself too close for the scythe to hit. He looked up to see the end of the scythe's wooden handle flying at his face. He barely had time to react, but he managed to block it with his left arm. The handle clobbered his arm and sent him sprawling to the side. He frantically flung himself forward again to escape the scythe's range, while slashing at Latakia's legs. His blade was stopped by the scythe's hilt, the ends of which were now splintered off. The hilt then swung toward him again, but parried it. His blade then flashed a bright green, as he flung back the scythe's hilt and slashed forward again. Latakia jumped back, avoiding the attack, but the zol-forged blade released a harsh gust of wind.

Latakia, buffeted by the gale, squatted in a vain attempt to endure the blast, but she was sent flying back anyways. She tossed her scythe aside as the whirlwind overwhelmed her, probably to avoid becoming tangled with her lethal weapon.

Seeing her grounded, stunned and unarmed, Myalkni wasted no time in scrambling forward. As he did so however, the ground below him gave way. The sand beneath his feat rushed backward, preventing him from reaching Latakia and annihilating his balance. He tried to jump forward to bypass the moving sand, but he had inadequate footing. He fell on his face.

He looked up to see Latakia drawing a jagged, crimson dagger from her belt. Horrified, he reversed direction and scampered backward, but Latakia's treacherous sand caused him to lose control. Before he knew it, he was tumbling backward. The rocks strewn over the gravelly trail battered him on all sides.

When he regained firm footing, Latakia was busy healing herself. He couldn't let that happen, so hurled a spike of ice at her. Latakia managed to smash one of the rocks on the trail into it, but it merely shattered into smaller shards which assailed her, undaunted. One found its way into the partially healed gash on her arm. Having bought more time, he tried to heal his own wounds, but it was no use. His well of Psynergy had dried up.

Myalkni was battered, fatigued beyond belief, and it hurt to move. He knew he had to finish this soon. He mustered all he had left and charged forward.

As he approached Latakia, he alternated his speeds, knowing that if she knew when he was going to attack, she could easily smite him with that dagger. He would feigned attacks and then abruptly stop, before resuming his advance, to confuse her. It seemed to be working, as she seemed less and less sure of herself. He then jumped forward and halted once more, thinking to himself that the next one would be the real attack. But just as he resumed his advance, a huge chunk of rock flew out of the ground, clobbering his chest.

The blow knocked out both Myalkni's breath and a fair amount of blood. He lay on his back, coughing up blood, hurting everywhere, unable to rise. He suspected that at least one bone was broken. He knew he had lost. He braced himself for what was next.

Myalkni cursed himself. He had screwed it all up. He could think of countless mistakes he had made, and couldn't forgive himself. Every opportunity missed and every mistake had been a catastrophe. _It all started when couldn't just get myself to follow through when Arcanus was asleep, _he decided.

After an eternity, Latakia walked toward him. _Won't you heal me already, just like you always did after you finished tormenting me? _he begged silently. He tried to speak, but only blood came out. What had he intended to say? He didn't know.

Latakia herself looked ready to collapse. He worried that he might have to endure this pain longer, because she might be too drained to heal him.

He stared dumbly as she held out an arm into the air. A vulture swooped down from the sky and dropped a squirrel onto her hand. The squirrel was still quite alive, and squirming, but Latakia gripped it firmly and it couldn't escape.

She then impaled the squirrel with her crimson dagger. It yelped and died. The dagger flashed eerily. But she kept the dagger in the squirrel's tiny body, and Myalkni watched it shrivel up, slowly disintegrating into nothing. It was a grotesque sight and if he weren't already in agony, he probably would've vomited. Meanwhile, Latakia's own wounds healed. She seemed to have sucked the life from it.

Myalkni shuddered as he coughed up more blood. For a second, he was actually grateful to Arcanus. Because of his father, Latakia was obliged to heal him rather than subject him to that squirrel's fate.

When Latakia finally approached him, her palm glowing with Psynergy, he eagerly anticipated being healed.

But instead of healing his wounds, suddenly he was filled with unbearable pain as Latakia clenched her glowing hand into a fist. Language was unable to describe it. It was like he was filled with a burning acid that was corroding his whole body. The agony caused him to roll around on the ground, which only added to the misery. All he could think about was the pain. All he wanted was for it to stop. Nothing else mattered.

"It can stop right now," he heard Latakia say. He listened eagerly, desperate for the agony to end. She paused, much to his dismay. He couldn't wait a second longer.

"You must merely swear to never again resist us," she said agonizingly slowly. "Otherwise, the pain will return."

"So," she said, snapping her fingers. "What's your choice."

Small ghosts holding candles emerged from nothing. But Myalkni didn't hesitate.

"Yes!" he croaked between bloody coughs.

He realized what had happened, but it was too late. She healed his wounds and the agony left his body, which were only replaced by a crushing dread that permeated his mind.

"Few people ever gave in to me that fast," she said, with a (bizarrely) almost consoling tone. "You were kinda pathetic, you know."

_Yeah, I sure am, _Myalkni thought bitterly. He hated himself, how pathetic he was, and the pampered upbringing had rendered him unprepared to endure pain.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Road from Belinsk to Sahha, deep night**_

Karis sat against the wagon's wall, her arms wrapped around her legs. She and Tyrell had hitched themselves a ride with a group of supply carriers. Most of Morgal's nomads were beastmen, as that was their tradition. However, most supply carriers were drove oxen in order to carry their heavy loads. Ox-driving was mainly done by humans, the ones who domesticated oxen in the first place.

Tyrell didn't seem bothered by the bouncy ride or the occasional box slamming into his body. He was peacefully sleeping, his head resting on top of one of the many boxes they sat amongst. Karis had no idea how he managed it, but she knew he had always been like that. She couldn't manage it though. It was going to be a long night.

It was a stroke of genius. The drivers were humans, but their livelihoods depended on the East remaining part of Morgal, as otherwise they wouldn't be able to continue their current route. The Morgal army wouldn't harm them because of their well-known loyalty. At the same time, their human brethren would never attack them, because if they did so, they could jeopardize their food supply. The last thing the rebels wanted was to cause their people to starve.

Amazingly, it was Tyrell who came up with this idea. She hadn't expected anything like that from him. _It's probably just a lucky stroke on his part, and he probably hasn't a clue how perfect his idea was_, she had thought.

It had only been six or so hours since she leftw, but Karis already missed Matthew. Why hadn't she let him come? She couldn't even remember. _I'm probably just tired, that's why I can't remember, _she thought. But she still couldn't forgive herself.

She tried to get her mind off that topic. How would she ever keep Tyrell out of trouble without Matthew's help? _It's like I'm always babysitting some ten-year-old boy, except he's much bigger, _she mused.

All of a sudden, Tyrell jerked awake and bellowed "Stop!"

Karis looked at her companion in shock. From the light of the lantern in the back of the wagon, she could see that he was sweating profusely, so much that his normally untamed hair was dragged down onto his face. His right hand was clutching his left. His chest expanded and contracted vigorously as he panted.

"You okay?"

"Yeah… I'm…completely fine," Tyrell grunted unconvincingly.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Valley-side overlooking caravan resting site, west of Port Rago, late in the night **_

Myalkni looked down from the valley-side. Everything was aflame, _everything. _There was something about the fire that was oddly peaceful, despite the destruction it wrought, despite the turmoil in Myalkni's mind. Somehow, it was numbing, allowing Myalkni to pretend he could forget what he had done. He couldn't, though.

Both he and Latakia had stood over the makeshift town, cloaked in camouflage shades of black and dark green. He had been holding a switch.

Latakia had whispered into his right ear to press. He had hesitated. Then his right arm was ripped open. He had held back his cry, knowing it would make the pain worse.

He lit the fuse. The pain stopped, the gash healed immediately, but he saw in the blast's light that he retained a deep, black scar. He'd never forget this night as long as he had that.

He had done everything Latakia commanded, hitting switches and fuses in succession. The village was bombarded first by an onslaught of dust and leaves, and then a rain 0f flames. It wasn't a natural blaze. The fire wasn't limited to the orange color of fire, instead displaying a wide range of eerie tones. It possessed a sinister beauty. And _everything_ burned: houses, people, wagons, even water.

Finally, Latakia had let loose an avalanche, blocking off the west– the way to Belinsk. She made sure there were a handful of survivors to tell the tale. She had protected them from the flames with her stones, guided them to the west exit in a number of ways, and prevented the avalanche from crushing them.

The exit leading to Port Rago was left untouched, to implicate the rebels. Everyone would think that the blocking of the route to Belinsk signified Rago's desire to separate itself from Morgal. And just in case the separatists weren't thoroughly incriminated, Tuaparang agents had materialized and ran around the city with torches proclaiming the death of the Morgallian "occupation" of "Pamorasak," which Myalkni guessed was the name of the nation the rebels were fighting to create. These agents committed the full range of crimes against the beastmen as the caravan burned. Latakia didn't bother herself about their fate, and they, too, were buried and burned alive.

Without a doubt, the civilians of "Pamorasak" would face a horrible revenge from the army. Myalkni knew he had indirectly killed them too.

Myalkni turned to face Latakia. Her eyes were glazed over, and she seemed totally unmoved.

"Latakia…" Myalkni began. "Is this… something you're often assigned to do?"

"Well, I don't usually burn, usually I just bury," she replied numbly.

"Actually, the last time I've seen… so much fire…" she began, emotion slowly seeping into her voice, "was when I was very young."

"Aside from having Psynergy, I was a normal girl, but everything changed when Sana invaded," she continued lifelessly. "Everybody was in denial, we all insisted they wouldn't reach us in the capital, but they did."

"You're from the Land of Snakes?" Myalkni asked. That nation, to Ayuthay's northeast, was conquered by the Empire, which burned its capital city to the ground along with its inhabitants. It then swamped the land with colonists from its original territory, and the land was now called Kaocho. It all had happened when he was a very young child, but he heard the story repeated over and over again during the time when Ayuthay was besieged by Kaocho. His own people had been determined to avoid that fate.

"So you still remember it," Latakia observed. "We always called our land Vayu.

"When the army came, I fled the burning city into the forest. When I returned, everything was gone. I cried and cried, and I returned to the forest," confessed Latakia. "I didn't care whether I lived or died. I probably would've died if Arcanus didn't take me in."

"I knew better than to bite the hand that fed me, the hand with power. I obeyed his every order," she explained.

"But, aren't you ever bothered that you regularly do the same thing that was done to your home?" Myalkni protested.

Latakia was silent for awhile. "That's not all I ever do," she replied after awhile. "And," she continued, "it doesn't matter."

"There's no right and wrong in this world," she concluded. "You should get rid of that naïve idea. There's only giving pain and receiving pain, and its best to make sure you feel nothing, ever."

Myalkni turned back to the city. He had given a lot of pain.

Everything that had passed seemed to have happened in an instant, but the present seemed to drag on forever. The future, meanwhile, was null to Myalkni.

_Now, I am naught but a standing, breathing corpse, _Myalkni observed grimly.

"You're the same as me now," Latakia said.

_I've lost everything. _

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**Next Chapter: Land of the Burnt Grass**

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

**1. I'd really appreciate your reactions as reviews, especially since I didn't use a beta, so only I've seen this before posting it. **

2. Names:

I. Pamorasak- from the Russian district Primorsky, which lies approximately where Rago should in the real world, and the Amur river, which separates Russia from China. Myalkni misinterpreted it; it actually refers to the area around Rago.

II. Vayu- from the Chinese historical country of Baiyue, a country that originally lied to China's south, but was conquered by China.


	8. Chapter 8: The Land Set Aflame

Before notes:

This chapter is set about a week after the last.

Remember, I love reviews .

**CHAPTER 8: THE LAND SET AFLAME**

******_~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~_**

_**Belinsk Castle**_

Sveta sat upon her throne, cloaked in a heavy fur robe that felt like it was suffocating her. But it wasn't the robe that was holding back her breath. She knew what was coming; her intelligence services had already told her. But foreseeing this moment didn't make her any more prepared.

She watched grimly as the wolf pup dashed toward her, down the corridor of her throne chamber. He shifted into a sprightly boy, and announced at the top of his lungs the tragedy that had occurred in the valley trade route leading to Port Rago.

"How could we have allowed this to happen?!" one advisor cried.

"The rebels are a cancer that we have let fester for too long!" shouted another.

"We must crush them, once and for all," bellowed another.

"Yes, we must pulverize them," said Fashty, Sveta's military advisor, with a relish in his voice that disturbed her. He turned to face her. "Do I have your permission, now, to commence with a military operation against the illegal human gangs?"

"Yes, you have my permission," Sveta said reluctantly, forcing every word out. She knew that it would be a disaster for her reputation if she hesitated even a second. "Please restore peace to this land."

But she didn't like it one bit.

"Do I have permission to use _any necessary means_?" asked Fashty.

"…Yes," Sveta said meekly, even submissively.

Sveta knew she was screwing everything up. If only she had paid attention when she was supposed to be learning all these things about statesmanship. _I never thought my brother would die before producing his own heir, _she despaired. _And now look at me. Morgal is tormented by crisis after crisis while I sit here clueless. _The worst thing was that she didn't have a clue. She had no idea when she was screwing up until the consequences arrived, so she feared that every decision she made would be a catastrophe.

_If only I had advisors I could actually trust. _Volechek, for all his faults, knew how to handle the advisors. Unlike Sveta, Volechek controlled his advisors, rather than the reverse. _I was never meant to be a ruler, _she lamented to herself.

As Fashty marched out with a coterie of guards, Sveta caught a sickening, wolfish smile spreading across his face. Sveta felt her throat lurch a bit.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Small town on the road from Belinsk to Sahha, three days later **_

Fashty grinned as he looked upon the small town. He looked to his right to see Morgal's First Canine Division. He looked to his left to see the Elite Lupine Division.

As a pup, Fashty's favorite pastime had always been catching bugs, an activity he often did with friends. Eventually, as his peers grew out of the activity, he simply grew out of insects and moved on to larger prey. As a young adult, he had become an accomplished hunter, although others did note with dismay his apparent inability to resist mangling his catches after felling them. When the Morgal Rebellion broke out against the hated occupation by Sana, he excitedly enlisted with the rebels. Ever since then, his prey had been humans.

Due to his prowess in both combat and tactics, Fashty quickly rose through the ranks of the Morgallian forces. During the wars, first with Sana and then Bilibin, Fashty had a legitimate reason to sate his hunger for the hunt with the slaughter of human villagers. It was commonly believed that the humans of Morgal, as much as they had disliked the Sanan occupation, were collaborating with Sanan army in the later stages of the war, largely due to their distrust of the rebels, who were predominantly beastmen. Every now and then, Fashty was left with long periods without combat, and he grew restless. As a result, a couple of human villages in strategic locations just happened to "disappear from the map" (in reality, they were ravaged by Fashty and his personal unit). The other rebel leaders had been distraught by his activities, which they feared would undermine their moral legitimacy. However, they never obstructed him. Fashty reckoned the reason they never interfered was both because he was too effective a general to be replaced, and because they knew deep in their hearts that it was actually helping them win the war.

Fashty smiled. After the wars with Sana and then Bilibin died down, he was left with no good reason to continue his hunting, and he knew he could get himself into quite a serious mess if he did. This meant that he had to deny himself for years. It was horrible.

But now, war had finally returned. He could barely contain his joy. He would now finally indulge a hunger that had accumulated over nearly a decade. He would finally quench his thirst for the sweetest drink to ever grace his tongue: human blood.

"Rejoice, my dogs! Dash forth! It is time to FEAST!" Fashty called. He then proceeded to shift into beast-form, as did his subordinates, before charging into the defenseless, peaceful village.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Small town on the road from Belinsk to Sahha Town, two days later **_

Karis stared out the front of the wagon at the flat plains that lay ahead, further along the road.

"Atkunom," she called to the driver, "didn't you say your home village was somewhere around here?" She was fairly eager to finally rest in an actual house for a night; it had been quite difficult to sleep in the bumpy wagon.

"Yes, I did… I know this route very well. I've traveled it my whole life," said Atkunom irritably.

Karis held her tongue. She thought back to earlier that day, when they had heard tales from other travelers passing by about a beastman caravan that was massacred. _Is Atkunom afraid the same could happen to his own hometown? _Karis kept staring at the empty road, but no village appeared on the horizon.

"The village_ should _be just ahead of us," Atkunom added grimly. Karis saw beads of sweat on his neck. She climbed back into the carriage.

After a time, Atkunom suddenly stopped his oxen. Karis and Tyrell gingerly climbed out, and a network of large, rectangular piles of ashes greeted them. These mounds were probably all that remained of the wooden houses that made up the village, Karis figured. There were a couple partially charred planks of wood lying around too, as well as stones and various odd items that had survived whatever blaze had occurred. There was no sign of corpses, however.

"This place must have been burned days ago," Karis noted. She looked over at Atkunom, but his face was as pale as chalk as he stared silently. They all stared for another few minutes.

"So, these rebel scumbags decided to smite their own brethren," breathed Atkunom. His voice was cold with acrimony, filled with a great but silent rage. "I hope the army comes and slaughters them all," he spat.

Karis thought Atkunom was blaming the human rebels too hastily, but she held her tongue in respect for his grief.

Tyrell opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it abruptly. Karis thanked him silently. Tyrell clenched his fists, and wore a troubled expression as he glanced at Atkunom and then back at the ruins.

"There are things I must do," stated Atkunom. "Karis, Tyrell, I'm sorry, but I must terminate the contract we made. I need to search for my family if they're still alive, and if they're gone, I must give them a proper funeral."

"We understand," replied Karis.

"I'll reimburse part of the money you gave me, since I didn't complete the whole trip," said Atkunom lifelessly.

"No, no, don't. We don't need it," Karis replied.

"No, I must. Otherwise I will have broken my promise to my client," insisted Atkunom.

"We don't want it back," grunted Tyrell. "Keep it."

"It serves our desires better that way," added Karis. "You wouldn't want to go against your client's desires, would you?"

"Fair enough, " sighed Atkunom. "Well, then, farewell. I hope the rest of your journey is safe."

"We hope all will be well for you too," Karis replied sadly.

"Thank you… to get to Sahha, just keep following the road here. It should be a few days' walk from here."

Karis and Tyrell gathered their belongings and then said their farewells before heading off.

After they had walked for some time, Karis turned to Tyrell and asked what had been on his mind earlier.

"Well…" Tyrell started. "I didn't like it. Something felt wrong."

_He's always had a sharp intuition, _Karis thought.

"Then," Tyrell continued, "I looked around and I saw scattered paw-prints everywhere. Beastmen had been there. A whole horde."

His words hit Karis like a wall. She and Atkunom had been so astonished by the sight of the ruins, they hadn't even noticed the tracks.

"But only humans lived in the village," she said. _Why would there be tracks? _Then, she gasped as she realized the implication.

"Yeah, that's what I figured," Tyrell grunted, staring gravely at her as she digested the implications.

"This time, the beastmen were the killers," Karis observed grimly.

Although one would never suspect it at first, Tyrell did have a sharp mind. _If only he would stop to use it, before he acts_.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Tuaparang Airship**_

Myalkni stared miserably out the window, as the pain of truth besieged him. He wished he could escape, but his mind was just as imprisoned as his body was. His chest felt so hollow it could collapse, while his throat could explode with all the dread he held. All he could do was take note of the facts, which always proceeded to crush him, time and time again. There was no hope, no reprieve and no silver lining. There was only dread, misery, and worst of all, the truth.

"Hello, my son," he heard Arcanus call.

"Hello, milord," Myalkni saluted, surrendering yet again.

"That's all I am to you?" Arcanus asked.

"It is good to see you, my lord father," Myalkni sighed. There was no such thing as surrendering enough. Submission had to be constantly renewed.

"I heard from Latakia about your success in your latest mission, and I came to congratulate you, my son."

"Thank you, my father," breathed Myalkni, rubbing his sore right shoulder. "You flatter me too much."

"Nonsense," said Arcanus with a proud grin. "You have participated in the making of history. I'm proud of you."

"I'm so glad that you're proud of me, father," Myalkni muttered as he remembered that night. He felt a vague nausea, which had become a rather common- yet still dreadful- feeling. One doesn't get used to misery; one merely grows familiar with it.

"Anyhow, I will be leaving soon. I have some business to take care of in Sahha," stated Arcanus. "I will miss you."

"I will miss you too, but I wish you the best of luck," Myalkni lied.

"Thank you. I will be helping move along the chain of events you yourself started," Arcanus said as he walked away. Myalkni's heart plunged deep into the swamp of dread.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Road to Sahha town, two days later**_

Tyrell's feet ached as he and Karis walked. He knew Sahha was getting closer, as the plains gave way to forest.

He knew things were getting messier and messier, and he grew steadily more uneasy as the forest progressively thickened around them. In the plains, he could see all their surroundings. As the forest grew thicker, his knowledge of his surroundings quickly diminished, as the view became shrouded in leaves and branches.

Tyrell wasn't particularly terrified of becoming something's prey. He had survived plenty of ambushes. What he feared was getting held back from rescuing Amiti because he and Karis had to lick their wounds after dealing with monsters, or worse, getting entangled in the bloody game the local humans and beastmen were having.

As the sun began to set and the sky darkened, Tyrell sensed Karis growing increasingly nervous as well. At first she tried to appear calm, but she kept "advising" him that they should go back and rest at the forest's entrance for the night. Of course, in Tyrell's mind, going backwards for any reason was preposterous. No, he replied each time, she could do what she wanted, but he was going to make it through the forest as fast as possible.

After a time, it seemed Karis felt the need to remind him of how she thought he was a complete idiot. Then she went on another one of her annoying rants about how she had to "babysit" him. She was saying about how all half the problems they had ever had were somehow his fault. Tyrell didn't really listen to what she said, as always. But she refused to stop, as if she thought she could pester him until he gave in. Eventually he couldn't take it anymore.

"Would you shut up already?" he shouted over his shoulder. "I said you could come only if you wouldn't be a control freak!"

"I never agreed to that," Karis shot back. "I came of my own free will, and you can't stop me."

"Well, you can go back to the entrance _of your own darned free will_, alone! I'm gonna make it through as fast as possible, and you won't stop me!" Tyrell roared at her.

"Don't be so loud!" Karis hissed. "Do you want the whole forest to know where we are?"

Tyrell sighed with exasperation, and walked slightly faster, hoping she might get tired of keeping up.

"I came to keep you out of trouble, and it's moronic to keep marching through this place in the dead of night without resting. If only Matthew was here, he could talk sense into you," Karis hissed again.

Tyrell whipped around. "Well then, GO BACK YOURSELF! I'm sick of you anyways!" he bellowed furiously. He had no idea what Matthew saw in her.

Karis opened her mouth to say something, but it never left her tongue.

"Fighting amongst yourselves, furless swines?" a grizzly voice said from behind Karis. Suddenly, she was seized by a furry limb.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Tuaparang Airship**_

During his weeks in captivity, Myalkni had often fantasized about being rescued. At first, it was his only light of happiness, the only reprieve after his torture sessions with Latakia.

Myalkni knew it was unlikely, but he wanted most to be rescued by Tyrell and the other Warriors' children. If some Ayuthay noble rescued him, on the other hand, Myalkni figured he'd end up indebted to them, which he definitely wanted to avoid. Myalkni shuddered when he thought about the situation back in Ayuthay. His disappearance could only cause trouble. He was sure many of the nobles would be thrilled if he never showed his face back home again, and Myalkni didn't particularly want to see them either. Myalkni also dreaded the implications that any Ayuthayan attempt to rescue him would have. What if other countries decided to exploit Ayuthay's divisive political climate? What if nobles tried to sabotage the operation? What effect could it have upon his uncle's health?

Despite all these logical reasons, Myalkni knew deep down that the real reason he wanted his rescuers to be the Warriors' children was that he yearned to see them again, rather than return to the Ayuthay court. After all, even before Arcanus imprisoned him, he had been sad that his time with the Warriors' children had come to an end.

But now, the originally happy daydream had mutated into yet another form of pain. Now, for Myalkni, "hope" was a desperate longing, an ache, a cavity that needed to be filled, but couldn't.

Now, he was torn about being rescued by his friends. He had no reason to believe they even knew he was captured. And then, if they knew, they probably had other problems to deal with. And anyone would be reluctant to rush through a war zone to confront the Tuaparang and perhaps the strongest adept in Weyard just to save him. Additionally, the last time they had gone to rescue captives from the Tuaparang's clutches, they were tricked into setting off the Luna Tower, so anyone with a brain could smell a trap. _No, _Myalkni thought, _saving me is too much to ask._

Myalkni figured that if they _did _attempt a rescue, they would probably end up dead or enslaved by Arcanus. _But I'm selfish, _Myalkni thought, hating himself; _I want them to come anyways. _

_If it was one of them in my position, they wouldn't spend the whole time wishing people would sacrifice themselves to save them. _

Myalkni hated himself.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Forest to the west of Sahha**_

"You make any attempt to attack me, and the girl dies," the beastman warned Tyrell, as the latter drew his sword.

"Now, swine boy, drop your blade, or I will carry out my threat," commanded the assailant.

Tyrell felt a drop of sweat leave his scalp. He certainly wasn't going to actually lay down his blade. He didn't want to put Karis' life on the line, but he instinctively didn't want to cooperate either. _Best to seize the element of surprise. _

With the palm of his hand, he summoned forth a large fireball, and launched it at the beastman. The fireball narrowly missed them, just as Tyrell had intended. Karis' eyes bulged with disbelief. Tyrell then helped the whole tree to burst into flame, and it quickly disintegrated, leaving only a pile of ashes behind. The fire did not spread. One could not overstate the usefulness of Psynergy.

"Release her, or you roast!" bellowed Tyrell.

But the beastman didn't release Karis. He merely smiled, and tightened his grip on Karis. Karis was seized by a fit of coughs and gasps.

_Oh crap, what do I do now, _thought Tyrell frantically.

"You really think you're all that, don't you, human boy?" taunted the beastman in his grizzly voice, as he dropped Karis' limp body to the ground. "Brothers!" the beastman called. "Seize him!"

Beastman soldiers began materializing all around them, and they flung themselves upon Tyrell. Tyrell tried his best to fend them off, but there were simply too many, and it wasn't long before they overwhelmed him, engulfing him in a sea of fur and claws.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Tuaparang Airship**_

Myalkni was staring wistfully out the window of the airship, as he often did, when he heard the sound of his chamber's door opening. He greeted Arcanus and Latakia as they entered, bracing himself for their latest report on "successful" they had been (together with him, dreadfully) at sewing death and destruction across Morgal.

And, true to form, Arcanus listed all the latest "successes," while Myalkni stared blankly past him, offering him limp congratulations every time he paused.

This all somehow related to the Tuaparang master plan to conquer all of Weyard, but Myalkni knew not how. Perhaps he would get a better idea of how it fit together if he actually listened to Arcanus for once, he figured. Although he knew that would probably be much wiser, he couldn't bring himself to pay attention. He couldn't bear anymore to hear it. _And besides, _Myalkni thought, _how does it matter if I actually understand how their plans work?_ He didn't think it could change anything.

"Myalkni!" shouted Latakia. "You gotta respond when your father asks you a question!"

Myalkni's hand shot protectively to his shoulder, almost instinctively. Thankfully, it didn't explode with pain. He had been spared this time.

"I'm so sorry, lord father," apologized Myalkni. "I was… lost in thought."

"Well, it is not bad that you are considering our plans studiously," said Arcanus with a half-smile. "Anyhow, what can you tell me about the other water adept you travelled with? Rief was his name, correct?"

"Yes, that's Rief," affirmed Myalkni. He loathed handing information to Arcanus, but he really had no choice. "He's from Imil, and he's the son of Mia."

Arcanus broke into a triumphant grin that confounded Myalkni.

"Well, my son," Arcanus announced, "I have another mission. I will be gone for a week or two. Latakia, you know the plan. He is all yours, for now."

Arcanus then bypassed the usual ceremony of repetitive goodbyes and briskly walked out the door.

_Why is it, _Myalkni wondered anxiously, _that Arcanus is interested in Rief suddenly?_

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**Next Chapter: Lights in the Dark **

Author's Notes:

1. Names:

Fashty- intended to sound both Russian and sound similar to "fascist".

Atkunom - from Yakut _at-kunan, _meaning steer. Yakut is the language of the Sakha Republic in Eastern Siberia which bears a name similarity to Sahha. Originally, Atkunom was going to be from Sahha.

**2. As you probably know _quite_ well by now… I love reviews . **

**3. There is a new poll on my profile page: this time, the question is about what you prefer for romance in this story. I'd reallllllly appreciate it if you answered the question, even if you choose the "Don't Care" option. Thanks ****. **For lazies, here's the url: /u/1681403/Yalens# (attach that to the fanfiction-dot-net url that I can't post).

4. Just a little teaser for the next chapter, in case you're not interested in the cliffhanger: it's the last chapter with any Weyard politics, **and both Nowell and Rief return to the plot. **


	9. Chapter 9: Lights in the Dark, Part I

Before-notes:

1. I had to bump this story's rating from K+ to T just to be safe. There's nothing explicit, don't worry, but there are a one arguably mildly suggestive instance. If you don't think you're ready for that, simply skip section titled "Nowell's dream". Everything else should be fine. You won't miss any major plot events.

2. Just like Ayuthay's debt crisis, Morgal's civil war is inspired by real events, but not based off of them. Nothing is supposed to be based off any real group, country or whatever.

3. **Tell me what you think in a review :). **

**CHAPTER 9: LIGHTS IN THE DARK (PART 1)**

_**~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~**_

_**Forest to the west of Sahha, night**_

Karis' breathing slowly normalized as she got herself off the ground. That beastman may have thought that he had at least knocked her out, but she was still quite awake.

The beasts seemed preoccupied with pulverizing Tyrell, so she took the opportunity to back away and escape their immediate range. Beyond that, though, she was lost for what to do. Of course she couldn't abandon him, but she couldn't think of an effective way to help him.

The thick forest drastically impeded her wind-based psynergy, as all the brush would absorb much of the blasts, protecting the beasts. Her knife would be nothing before all the beasts' claws, and using her bow would be too risky while they tangled with Tyrell.

Without any more hesitation, she began doing the only thing she could- continually healing Tyrell with her psynergy, to prevent him from dying. The beastmen didn't seem to notice; they were either distracted, couldn't detect it, or didn't care. It seemed lame and cowardly just to heal Tyrell while five or so beastmen ripped at him from all sides, without helping him fight, but it was really the best she could reasonably do. She desperately hoped that Tyrell, with the help of her psynergy, could hold out until she thought of a good idea. _Well, he is a formidable warrior after all_, she thought, trying to be optimistic.

Karis knew that this definitely wasn't a solution- eventually, she would run out of psynergy, and they would both would be doomed. But she couldn't the solution she was frantically searching for. _I need to stay calm_, she reminded herself. _I must never let hysteria seize control of my mind. After all, that's exactly how Tyrell gets us into all these messes. _

She had known something like this would happen the whole time, but true to form, the notoriously reckless Tyrell had charged off a cliff yet again. _Perhaps I should expect, and plan for, things like this, rather than vainly trying to prevent them_, she thought glumly.

Yet despite knowing the whole affair was completely Tyrell's fault, Karis still felt guilty. She had failed Sveta and she had failed Matthew. She and Tyrell had gotten caught in the crossfire of Morgal's civil war and pulled in, and she had failed to keep Tyrell out of trouble.

Suddenly, an idea emerged. She regretted doing this, because it risked revealing that she was an adept, but she didn't hesitate a second, for she was left with no choice.

The first djinni she called forth was Jolt, who could bring Tyrell back from the brink of death if necessary. Next, she summoned Breath, who took over the job of healing Tyrell. Third, she had Ether replenish her psynergy.

She had known that those three would not attract the attention of the beastmen. With her next move, though, they would know that she was alive and a threat to them. But she knew what she had to do.

She summoned Lull, who rose into the air and extended its tendrils of psynergy throughout the whole area. The four beastmen that were upon Tyrell spun around and stared in shock, while their apparent commander whipped around and made to lunge at Karis. Expecting this, Karis quickly scrambled backwards.

The commander, however, was stopped mid-jump, and fell to the ground, by the power of Lull. Lull prevented hostile actions by combatants for a set time period. Karis had no idea how Lull did it, but it always worked. This gave Karis the time to run backward far enough for her to make another move without fearing that the beastmen would smother her first, as they had Tyrell. Tyrell, meanwhile, used the opportunity to release himself from their bind. He slowly limped away from them, thoroughly battered and torn, but still breathing.

Karis then called forth a fifth djinni, Doldrum, who restrained the commander- the closest adversary- with inward-rushing wind currents.

Karis wouldn't be summoning any more djinn, as it would deplete her strength too much. Instead, she began slowly mouthing the incantation used to summon Procne. As always, she worried about bungling the summon. She saw Lull's ceasefire terminate, and the four beastmen that had been upon Tyrell charged at her. Her heart pounded out of her chest as she hurried backwards, still carefully articulating the words.

Suddenly, a shaft of light shot from behind Karis at the beastmen. Karis stopped her summon abruptly, biting her lip so hard that she cut it open. Had something gone wrong? Had she screwed it up? This wasn't supposed to happen.

The shaft seemed to solidify into an arrow, which planted itself into the chest of one of the four beastmen charging at her. The arrow then seemed to drill further and further into him, swinging back and forth as it dug into the flesh as it disemboweled him. He howled in pain as he fell, while his comrades reeled in horror. Karis averted her eyes, unable to take the hideous sight.

"If any of you move, you're next," a voice threatened from behind Karis.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Boat approaching Belinsk, night**_

Nowell lay asleep on a wooden crate in the cabin. She clutched the blanket and pillow as if she was clinging to them for dear life as she tossed and turned, her mind confounded by a strange dream.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Interlude: Nowell's dream- set in a pine forest**_

_There she is. She dons a white robe. Her hand rests on a tree trunk. She had told herself all this time that there was no way she would come here tonight. And yet, here she is. Deep down, she knew she'd come in the end. And here she is. _

_And there_ HE_ is. He dons a black cloak. His left hand extends to the side, fingers outstretched. It's like the fingers are cutting the air as he approaches her. The dark of night obscures his face, but she knows he's smiling. _

_With each step he takes closer, the dread in her heart grows. She knows she must escape while she still can. Instead, she finds herself walking towards him. His right hand stretches toward her, threatening to snatch her up and never let go. Nowell wants that horrible thing to stay far, far away. But she sees her own right hand welcome it and guide it to her shoulder. _

_He pulls her in, eagerly but also gently, and she falls into his deadly embrace. He wraps himself around her, the black of his garment enveloping the white of hers, just like the darkness of night shrouds the white soil beneath them. _

_She had sworn not to come, but had come anyways. She knows that this is wrong, stupid and foolish. She knows this even as her lips touch his. There is no logical reason to do it and every reason not to. And yet logic has lost out, for here she is. _

_In the distance, she hears the roll of the waves of the ocean. The next morning, he will probably sail away in those waves. She will be leaving then too, by foot. It's just one night and soon it'll all be over. Hopefully nobody will have to know. And yet, she knows somehow that she will pay dearly for this night. In her head, she screams at herself to stop, but her body won't listen. All she can do is stand and watch herself be destroyed, for here she is._

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Forest to the west of Sahha, night**_

The beastmen were mortified. They thought they were the predators, but now they were the prey. None of them moved or spoke, except for their commander.

"Show yourself," he called indignantly.

From behind Karis, a young human emerged from the bush. His bow and arrows both seemed to glow, illuminating the surrounding area. Tyrell could see that he sported light armor and medium length golden hair, wielding a bow of the same color. His arrows were thin shafts of metal. He looked to be a similar age to Tyrell and Karis. He was tall and somewhat thin, with fairly broad shoulders. His expression was more solemn than fierce. His bow was locked in on the soldiers, silently threatening them.

"This is all?" balked the commander. "Come now, my brothers. There's only one! After we're done here, cowardice will be remembered and punished."

None of his "brothers" moved an inch. The commander leered angrily at his subordinates, growling with frustration, and then swiftly turned towards the bowman, crouching on his hind legs in preparation to attack.

Without warning, something struck the commander from the side, and he cried out in shock. Then another one of the first bowman's arrows plunged into him. He struggled to remove the shaft from his chest as it tried to drill in. From the light of the glowing arrow, Tyrell saw another dart strike the commander's shoulder blade. The commander let out a bizarre sound somewhere between a howl and a yelp, and then collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The arrow continued its grotesque work on him as they all watched in horror.

"So, you thought we'd only send one of our men, all alone?" said a new voice from the bushes. This voice was deeper and more mature.

All around them, lightly-armed humans emerged from the bushes. _It's the rebels!_

"Good work, Baqsu," the voice said. "Now," he said, "you imperial slaves. You have a choice: surrender or die."

"We choose to surrender," said one exhausted soldier. "All we ask is that you understand that we are mere soldiers following orders. Please don't punish us for the crimes of our superiors."

His two comrades stared at him in shock and betrayal as the rebels came upon them with ropes. When the two resisted, the surrendering soldier helped the rebels to restrain them, before he too was tied up.

The apparent leader of the guerrillas turned to Karis. "We consider it our duty to help any kin in need."

_He considers us kin? I guess that's because we're humans like he is, but I don't consider him kin; I don't even know him_, thought Karis. "Words can't express our gratitude," she said. "Had you not come to our aid, we might not have survived."

Karis tried her best to sound sincerely thankful, but her anxiety might have shown. She worried she would be coerced into breaking one of her vows to Sveta, the vow to avoid getting involved in the conflict at all costs. She had been fighting with djinn and psynergy right before the rebels arrived on the scene. She could only guess how much of that they had seen. If they knew who she and Tyrell were, they would do anything to recruit them.

"They look fairly battered, especially the man," observed another rebel. "Perhaps we could give them custody for them to recover."

"Yes, we must," agreed the boss. He turned to Karis. "What do you say to hospitality?"

It didn't sound much like there was a choice, and Karis knew refusing would be absurd. "Yes, I cannot thank you enough," she said, trying to sound tired in order to mask her reluctance. _It's the better option anyways, considering Tyrell's condition_, she tried to convince herself.

"What're you saying?" protested Tyrell in between gasps. "We need to get through this place as fast as possible!"

_And there goes Tyrell, exacerbating the situation yet again_, Karis moaned silently. "Tyrell, you can't walk properly and you can barely talk!" she countered. "Come back to your senses. There's no way you can make it through like this!"

Tyrell opened his mouth protest, but then collapsed in coughs. He clutched one hand over the other's fingers, perhaps because he had been injured there.

"It's okay," wheezed Tyrell. "I'll come."

Karis was surprised- usually Tyrell was much more stubborn than this, no matter how injured he was. She speculated hopefully that maybe he was learning to use his brain at last.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Boat, night**_

Nowell woke abruptly from her dream, sitting up and panting. For some reason, the dream continued to haunt her. Yet, as she thought about it, she couldn't figure out what it was about it that terrified her so.

Perhaps it was just her mind's reaction to being rejected by Piers. _Perhaps this is a function of some new fear of falling in love I might have developed from that_, she guessed. No, that was too weird. _But what is it then?_

_Maybe it was actually a premonition_. After all, she had been pretty than she was in real life- she wore a long white dress and had very long hair. _I would never dress myself like that right now, but maybe I will come to do so in the future._

She pictured an older version of herself dressed in a long white robe with long hair.

_Gosh, if that's a premonition, it means I'll practically turn into my mom,_ Nowell thought, repulsed. Nowell, a girl of sixteen years, was horrified at the concept of growing into anything resembling her stuffy, traditional, boring mother.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Rebel camp in the forest west of Sahha, the next day**_

Karis slowly ate the porridge that she had been provided. It was essentially tasteless, but Karis figured that worked for the rebels, who ate for substance, not taste.

So far, the rebels appeared to believe that they were mere travelers, as she had told them, but Karis knew this was a flimsy lie. Who would travel right into the middle of a warzone? She had tried to fortify her story by saying that they were fleeing to the northwest area near Talon Peak (which was true) because that area's remoteness meant it would probably be untouched by the fighting. None of rebels had mentioned seeing her psynergy yet, but she couldn't imagine how they could've missed it.

"Hey there," said a voice from behind her. Karis turned around to see the bowman from the night before. She remembered the boss calling him Baqsu. _He's probably an adept too_, Karis figured.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you," Baqsu said.

"It's okay."

"So... I wanted to ask you, where are you from?" he asked, sounding somewhat nervous. _Perhaps he was asked to try to recruit us since he's an adept too, but he isn't sure how to go about it_, Karis thought. Her mind raced. She didn't want to reveal too much about herself, but she also didn't want to commit herself to another lie she couldn't defend.

"I'm from Kalay," she replied, opting for the truth.

"Uh... where's that? Anywhere near here?" asked the boy, sounding like he sincerely didn't know.

"It's not part of Morgal at all," Karis replied.

"Oh, is it in Sana? I didn't think it sounded Sanan, but I wouldn't know."

"No, Kalay is a whole different country. It's far away from here, far to the west and south."

"Oh, I'm really sorry," said the boy, blushing with embarrassment. "I'd never heard of Kalay before, ever."

Karis wasn't sure what to say.

"What's it like there? Are the people really outlandish?" Baqsu asked.

"Well, I guess Kalay could be outlandish to someone like you, but it's home to me," Karis replied hastily, trying her best not to give anything away. She couldn't wait for this conversation to end so she could stop worrying about revealing too much.

The boy winced. Karis felt a little sorry, realizing she had probably sounded a bit snappy. She shouldn't have responded like that to someone who thought he had saved her life the previous night.

"I'm sorry if I insulted you," he said, blushing again. "Where I come from, people are really poor and isolated. I never learned anything about the outside world, so I was curious. I didn't mean any offense."

Karis felt bad, listening to him almost frantically apologize. She didn't think anymore that he had a motive in talking to her, and it was pretty relieving for her to let down her guard.

"Where do you come from?" she asked.

"A small village on the road west of this forest... but it doesn't exist anymore," he said sorrowfully.

"What happened to it?" Karis asked, suspecting she already knew the answer.

"The army burned it to the ground and ate most of its inhabitants alive," he said matter-of-factly.

"That's horrible!" Karis exclaimed. "Did they really eat the inhabitants alive?"

"That's what the beasts do. They do it to scare us. It's not scaring me though."

"I saw the ashes of a village on the road here, and there were no bones... I wondered why," Karis said, still digesting the horror.

"It might have been mine," Baqsu said flatly. "Could you tell see the name on the entrance sign?"

"No, everything was burnt," Karis said remorsefully. "But at that time we were being escorted by an ox-driver, and it was his hometown."

"What was his name?"

"Atkunom."

"Oh, he fathered me. That's the village," Baqsu said.

"He had to split up with us to search for his family," Karis said, hoping to make Baqsu feel better. It didn't work.

"I doubt he'd even recognize me," Baqsu said emotionlessly.

"But how can that be, if he's your father?" Karis asked, confused.

"I don't even call him that. He was always doing his trips, trucking the grains back and forth... He barely ever saw my mother and all of his kids. Now they're all dead but me, eaten alive, while he does his job helping this cursed empire exploit us poor humans, charging us outrageous prices for just a bag of wheat."

"But he's your father, and he's looking all over for you," Karis protested.

"He may think he's my father, but I don't really have one. 'Boss is the closest thing. Atkunom was only my dead mother's husband."

Karis decided to change the subject to something less personal. "How did you know where the soldiers were in the forest?"

Baqsu grinned proudly. "We got one of them to. We captured one and got him to tell us the route they'd take. He was the one who surrendered last night. We let him rejoin his group, and he knew the whole time that we were going to ambush them."

"Why'd he tell you?"

"He was one of those self-righteous types who think they can absolve themselves of guilt by betraying their comrades. Of course, they can't."

"What do you mean?" Karis asked.

"They've murdered people, they've ate people alive. I won't forgive them, no matter how they try to make up for it," Baqsu said coldly.

"Isn't that harsh? Don't you kill too?"

"We freedom fighters aren't like those soldiers," Baqsu said defensively, blushing again. "We don't kill innocent civilians. But you gotta understand, these people ate my family alive. I'm gonna kill every one of those fiends that I can."

Karis was taken aback. "But what if the soldier isn't guilty?"

"They're all killers to me. Even civilian beasts are accomplices in oppression, but we won't harm them because that would kill our reputation."

Karis thought about what she was hearing. It sounded nasty, but she still thought Baqsu was a good person underneath it. _Well, I guess having your family eaten alive can mess with your head, _she decided.

"Say," Baqsu started, "where are you heading to next?"

"We'll go through Sahha and Kolima."

"There's a huge battle going on in Sahha, you know," he warned.

"How bad is it?"

"Well, the whole city is pretty much ablaze."

"Is Kolima safe?"

"Well, currently yes. But if the army takes Sahha, then Kolima's next…I know a path through the woods to the mountains that avoids any towns. I could escort you, if you'd like," he offered.

Karis wasn't eager to get further involved with the rebels. She pondered how she could politely refuse, searching for an excuse. Suddenly, she looked forward to see Tyrell marching purposefully towards her, looking quite healthy.

"Hey," Baqsu exclaimed, "what're you doing here, you should be back in the infirmary."

"I'm all healed now," Tyrell said.

"How is that? You could barely stand yesterday!" Baqsu exclaimed.

"I just heal really fast."

Baqsu looked at him incredulously.

"You- you should keep your hands off her," snapped Tyrell, jabbing his finger at Baqsu. "Don't you know she already has somebody?"

Baqsu quickly looked back and forth between Karis and Tyrell as his face turned as red as a tomato. "Forgive me," he cried, "I had no idea!"

With that, Baqsu hurriedly walked away, mortified.

"I just thought he was trying to coax me into joining the rebels," remarked Karis.

"I knew what that was when I saw it," Tyrell replied. "Matthew's my best friend, and if you wrong him, I'd be angry too."

"I know," Karis said, reminded of how she missed Matthew. "So, honestly, how did you really recover so fast?" she asked.

"This can heal," Tyrell said, tapping an elaborate silver ring on his ring finger.

"Where did you get that?"

"It doesn't matter right now," Tyrell said quickly, his ears reddening as he looked away from her. "We need to get out of here. I don't trust these guys."

"I don't really either," Karis agreed.

"I overheard some of them discussing ways that they could get us to work for them. They know we're adepts. I think we should get gather our stuff and get out while we still can," Tyrell said.

"I agree," Karis stated. "Thanks for consulting me this time."

"Oh, I only wanted to make sure I wouldn't have to drag you out of this place against your will. That'd be really awkward," Tyrell explained defiantly.

"Whatever," said Karis. "Baqsu did tell me, though, that there's a battle in Sahha right now."

"Well, we can go through the water system to get to Kolima like we did last time, right?"

"That's a good idea," Karis said. "The wells are fairly close to the south entrance, and once we make it to them, we're safe."

_Even if he won't admit it, Tyrell_ is_ using his head more, _realized Karis. She wondered why.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Rural Ayuthay, night**_

Arcanus knocked on the motel's door and entered. The lights were off in the atrium and the owner was asleep at the front desk. He knocked on the desk right next to her head and she woke up abruptly, shocked.

"Hello there," he said cheerfully.

"Hello traveler," she said, struggling to keep her eyes open. "It's… 159 coins for a room."

"Actually," Arcanus explained, "I was planning to stay in the same room as a relative of mine who is staying here."

The motel owner gave him an irritated stare. "I… don't remember anyone mentioning that."

"Perhaps he forgot. I'll pay you extra if necessary," Arcanus offered. "Is there a young man named Rief staying here?"

"Yes… I believe so…"

"Could I please be escorted to his room?" he requested.

"Are you sure… he wants to be awakened… at this hour?"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be exuberant to see me," Arcanus assured.

The hotel owner painfully got herself up from her desk and walked out in to the lobby. "And what's your name?" she inquired, slightly suspiciously.

"I'm called Nowell," Arcanus replied.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**Next: Chapter 10- Lights in the Dark Part 2**

Author's notes:

1. "Baqsu" is from Korean _bagsu_, meaning "revenge". Originally it was going to be in Yakut like "Atkunom" was, but… it was too tiresome to try to find Yakut translations online.

2. This chapter was getting really long, so I broke it in half. I know I promised to you all that (1) you'd see Rief in this chapter and (2) it'd be the last chapter with politics. Well, that was true when I said it, when it was still one chapter. Now, that's true of the next chapter… which should come out soon.

**3. Please don't hesitate to review- I really want to know what you guys think when you read this :). **

**4. The poll on my user page regarding who should be paired with Myalkni~Amiti is still ongoing.**


	10. Chapter 10: Lights in the Dark, Part II

Before-notes:

Like the last, there's minor suggestiveness in this chapter. If it's not appropriate for your age/maturity, skip the second airship section (fourth section overall). It shouldn't be that big a problem though; it's not much.

(I accidentally deleted this chapter when I was just trying to update it and I had to re-upload it… I'm really sorry to all followers for the double notifications, if it annoyed any of you)

**A review really makes my day . **

**CHAPTER 10: LIGHTS IN THE DARK, PART 2**

_**~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~**_

**_Rural Ayuthay, motel, late night_**

Rief's peaceful slumber was violently interrupted by the screechy voice of the old motel owner.

"Could I please speak to a patron named Rief?" the tired voice called from behind the door.

Rief was groggy and annoyed about being woken up in the middle of the night, but he forced out of bed and slowly walked to the door. He resolved himself to never again spend a night in this motel.

"What is it?" he moaned as he stumbled in the door's general direction. It was pitch black and he didn't want to wake Kraden.

"Do you… have a relative named Nowell?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, that's my sister!" Rief replied, suddenly feeling quite awake. It had been ages since he'd seen her, and he realized he was pretty curious to learn about her sailing trip.

Eventually, he found the wall. He decided he'd just go along the wall until he reached the door. As he did so, he heard a couple loud thumps from the hallway. He figured this was his sister stomping, a habit she often did when she was annoyed or impatient with him, which was fairly often.

"Hold on sis, I'm coming," he shouted back, just as he had a million times before.

_Wait a minute, _Rief thought to himself. _How could Nowell possibly know what inn I'm staying at? And furthermore, what's she doing this far inland, in Ayuthay, when her boat was supposed to drop her off in Belinsk? _

_I guess I'll learn why momentarily, _Rief reckoned as he reached the door. As he opened the door, he saw that there wasn't much light in the hallway either, but there was enough to see the outline of the person standing in the hallway. The figure was very tall, much taller than either Nowell or the motel owner. _Piers? _

Rief looked around, but he couldn't see another silhouette anywhere. "Where's Nowell?" Rief asked confused.

"Perhaps you'd like a light," a man's voice said. Suddenly, light radiated from the man's palm, which was facing down at the ground in front of Rief. The boy froze in horror at the sight it revealed.

It was the motel owner's corpse, stabbed through the heart with what looked to be a huge shaft of ice. Her mouth was open in shock, butit was full of ice, like a cup of frozen water. Her nostrils were frozen in the same way.

There was no blood. _What the heck is going on here?!_

"Seeing relatives is always nice," said the familiar voice. Rief's followed the light of the man's palm as it moved up his figure. Rief clenched his fists as his eyes reached Arcanus' mask.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**_Tuaparang Airship, night_**

Latakia stared across the room at Myalkni. "He's all yours", Lord Arcanus had said. She had understood him, knew what he had meant.

"Myalkni, follow me."

He followed her, his eyes downcast.

_I will conquer him, claim him, _Latakia said to herself as they walked.

"You've been behaving well lately," Latakia remarked.

_Yes, I've been pretty obedient lately, doing all the wretched crimes you ask of me, _Myalkni reflected glumly as he followed. Lately, he had completely lost the will to resist. _Having already burned a whole village-worth of people alive, every new crime seems less major. _He recalled learning once that repeat-murderers were desensitized to the act, and figured it was probably similar to that. Myalkni still felt revulsion towards the tasks, but for some reason, the outrage he felt before was gone. He found this change disturbing.

He remembered back to when he had tried to escape from Latakia. It had been a week or so ago, but it seemed like ages had passed. He remembered how he had reflected while fleeing from Latakia that if she vanquished him, he would become an automaton, and that therefore he was fighting to preserve his control over his life. _I was fighting to not "lose myself", that was how I thought about it, _he remembered.

_Well, now, that fate has been realized. I lost, I screwed it all up. _

Had he lost his life_? I'm clearly not dead, but I'm not truly alive either_, he observed._My body still lives, but it's not really my own anymore. I have practically no control over what I do. _

_In light of that, I guess I really have lost myself,_ he despaired_. I still have my own identity and my own conscience… but they have utterly no effect on my actions. I act no different than I would had they been completely obliterated._

Myalkni hated himself for being so weak. _I should have continued resisting, even if died or had to endure agony, rather than give in and commit these horrible crimes_, Myalkni berated himself. He was sure that the any of the Warriors' children would never have stopped resisting. _But unlike them, I'm weak_, _and because of that people suffer and die._

A part of Myalkni wanted, desperately, to still believe there was the tiniest sliver of light. He still wanted to be able to tell himself that he wasn't a horrible person after all. _At least I don't actually enjoy being forced to kill people, _it argued. _After all, if I resisted, someone else would do the tasks I'm made to do while I suffer immense physical pain. What use is that?_

But this voice was quickly brought back in line: _Well, one SHOULD choose to suffer eternally rather than kill tons of people, _Myalkni reprimanded himself_. But… I'm incapable of that because I fear pain and death more than I fear doing horrible things._

_I only pursue the right path if it brings me personal satisfaction_, Myalkni reflected bitterly. _Now that I've already killed tons of people, deep down, I know I won't have any personal satisfaction for resisting, because I'll never forgive myself for the people I've already killed. Even though it's obviously the right thing to do, I have no thought of resisting, because it won't do me a bit of good emotionally._

_That's my inherent nature: a selfish, useless, pathetic, sorry excuse of a creature, _Myalkni despaired, lashing himself with thoughts.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**_Motel in rural Ayuthay, late night_**

For some reason, Rief didn't look particularly happy to see Arcanus- he looked much more the opposite. Arcanus couldn't care less though.

Arcanus swiftly lifted a dart from his pocket and planted it in his kin's shoulder. The boy gasped in shock and then fell forward, unconscious, into Arcanus' arms.

With his free hand, Arcanus snapped his fingers. Eight Tuaparang soldiers charged down the hallway to meet Arcanus. Arcanus passed Rief's unconscious body into the arms of one of the soldiers, while another two picked up the motel owner's corpse.

"What in the world is going on here?!" a man demanded as he emerged from his room. This irritated Arcanus. Clearly, they hadn't been quiet enough; his men had been below professional.

Before Arcanus could handle the man, however, one of the Tuaparang soldiers felled him with a knife. The soldier had done so swiftly and soundlessly, but Arcanus stared at him with disapproval. He would have preferred to dispatch the man bloodlessly, as he had done with the motel owner. _But of course, you can't always have what you want, things don't always go according to plan. _It was still annoying, though, that his own subordinates were creating complications in his plan.

"Now, now, you knew you weren't supposed to do that, don't you? Look at all that blood! Don't you know we're trying to cover our tracks?" Arcanus hissed.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Arcanus…I'll clean this up as best as I can!" the soldier whimpered. Despite Arcanus' soft tone of speaking, he understood well the potential consequences of burdening Arcanus.

"Yes, please do."

And with that, Arcanus made his way into Rief's room, immediately heading to Kraden's bed. He quickly deployed another dart on Kraden. He knew not if Kraden was awake, but he wanted to make sure Kraden didn't interfere- _yet. _

Arcanus left a short note that he had prepared earlier on top of Kraden's forehead.

Arcanus' telepathy sensed another mind in the room, but he didn't see anyone else. Then he had an idea.

He proceeded to rummage through Rief's belongings, handing any bag which contained items worth claiming to the soldiers. Eventually he came to the object he had been looking for: a small, white gemstone. _I knew it, _Arcanus thought triumphantly, _it's the Ice Queen. This could be quite useful… _

In order to gain control over Myalkni, Arcanus had used a strategy that combined threats, reason and appeals to emotion. He had used these tools to sway Myalkni to obey him at each step voluntarily, until Myalkni was completely subdued. With Rief, it would be different. Rief's hatred of Arcanus was too great for that strategy. Instead, Arcanus would employ the same tactics he had used to get into Rief's motel room: a combination of deceit and force to subdue the boy's mind. He would have to improvise at parts, but he was confident he could conquer the boy. Rief, who was five years younger than Myalkni, would be a much easier – and more predictable – project.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**_Tuaparang Airship, late in the night, Latakia's chamber_**

Latakia stopped in front of a doorway, looking at Myalkni with a peculiar expression. _What is that, sympathy? _For some reason, the concept of her sympathizing with him angered Myalkni. He didn't think he deserved sympathy, and didn't want Latakia's.

"Oh don't look so miserable, you're still alive," she remarked. Myalkni wasn't sure he agreed.

"Well, I would rather you not look so miserable, for your father's sake and mine," she said. This infuriated Myalkni, but he concealed his anger as he always did.

"Since you've been good, I've decided to reward you," Latakia told him. Myalkni couldn't quite figure out her expression. He didn't care, though, and wasn't particularly excited about this "reward", whatever it was.

Following Latakia into the room, Myalkni saw a well-made bed, a desk, and various papers and books. At Latakia's bidding, Myalkni sat down on the mattress.  
Suddenly, Myalkni felt Latakia's fingers skim his neck and his shoulder blades, and soon, he felt her palms embracing his skin too.

Myalkni knew where this was going. Having lived in Ayuthay's Court for nineteen years, he'd seen this many times. _You've got to be kidding me, _Myalkni groaned to himself silently.

_I guess I'm supposed to be seduced at this point, _Myalkni thought. Instead, he was silently furious. He figured that behind this lay Arcanus trying to control him in yet another way. _But what about Latakia?_

Myalkni looked up at her. Latakia seemed to have become an entirely different person. She had always seemed steely and emotionless, but at this moment he could see tenderness behind her tough exterior. Myalkni saw traces of desire on her face; her eyes contained sadness and longing.

Latakia drew herself closer to him, while he remained motionless and unresponsive. Her arms wrapped around him. Her red lips inched forward, inviting him.

Most of the men in the court would be entranced at this point, but Myalkni wasn't. By most standards Latakia was quite attractive, but he wasn't attracted a bit.

"We're the same, you know," she whispered in his ear.

_And I hate us both. _

"You know you want to kiss me, why deny yourself?"

"I hate you," Myalkni spat, unable to stop himself this time. Latakia looked like she had been punched.

"Why?" she demanded. "You torture yourself worse than I ever did."

"I didn't mean it; I just wanted to see how you'd react."

Myalkni could sense Latakia struggling to swallow the absurd lie. She obviously wanted to believe it. _Latakia's life is miserable, she's desperate for this as a reprieve,_ Myalkni realized. _She has probably been waiting for this._

For the first time, Latakia was at his mercy, rather than the reverse. But despite hating her, he was as uninterested in hurting her as he was in kissing her.

"There's nothing to fear," coaxed Latakia.

Myalkni decided he wasn't sure he really had a choice- it could get bad if Latakia was left frustrated. _Besides, I don't need to fear losing anything anymore. Moreover, at the end of the day, at least I can tell myself I chose the non-selfish option for once, _he reasoned to himself.

Myalkni picked up his hand and placed it on Latakia's back, and began caressing her. She was visibly relieved, and stared at him adoringly.

"You know, it's my first time," he said, regretting it. A part of him was still terrified of failing to satisfy Latakia, and he hoped that saying so would make her less likely to blame him if he messed up. He wasn't even sure if he knew how to do it right, and. He tried his best to imitate what he had seen in the court so many times. He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers.

"It's mine too," she replied. "Well… the first kiss of my own accord," she corrected herself, painfully.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

After Latakia had her fill, a peculiar quiet descended upon the air.

"We must prepare," Latakia stated.

"For what?"

"Our sources inform me that the redheaded idiot from Vale that you accompanied in the past is coming to abduct you," she replied.

_Oh, please do. Please abduct me from this hell. _

"His name is Tyrell," Myalkni said, carefully articulating the name. It was him_. Tyrell. He's coming. For me._

"He's accompanied by the green-haired twerp from Kalay. We're going to have to confront them…" Latakia was explaining. Myalkni wasn't listening. He rose and walked over to the window.

"What are you doing," Latakia demanded, "are you listening?"

"Yeah, I'm listening," Myalkni replied. "I'm just looking at the stars."

Thankfully, Latakia couldn't see that the sky was too cloudy to see a single star. Thankfully, the light was off, so Latakia couldn't see that Myalkni was looking down at the ground, rather than up.

_Tyrell, I wonder where you are right now, _Myalkni thought.

Suddenly, there was light again in Myalkni's life. A small flame had appeared, providing a small light in the sea of dread and darkness.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

**_Next Chapter: Bath of Blood _**

Author's Notes:

Taster for the next chapter: before Karis and Tyrell reach Amiti/Myalkni, SOMEONE IMPORTANT WILL DIE. Just a little suspense leak.

For any of you interested in the poll results for the three polls…

*The first poll (Ch4): A clear majority wanted the ring to go to Matthew.

*The second poll (Ch6): Half thought Latakia should be a Wind Adept, half didn't care. Only two voted, unfortunately.

*The third poll (Ch8): Tyrell was the winner; "Other" (Eoleo? Matthew?) and Latakia were the runner-ups.

As I said before… reviews really make my day. **So if you have a response, I'd love to see it in a review :).**

**There is a new poll on my userpage. It'd be great if you answered it. **


	11. Chapter 11: Bath of Blood

_**Before-Notes: **_

1. Back by popular demand, the "politics" returned in the form of two interludes. Skip them if you're not interested in the background.

2. This chapter starts off fairly calm before somewhat exploding at the end. I guess that's become my habit.

3. **I love reviews. If you gave me one, it'd really make my day.**

**CHAPTER 11: BATH OF BLOOD**

**_~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~_**

_**Belinsk, morning **_

Nowell stumbled out of her hotel room. Ever since she'd arrived at Belinsk, she'd been having dreams of that mysterious, black robed man. Every time, she awoke panting, disoriented and confused. She had no idea why.

Turning her mind to more rational matters, she wondered what she would do if she couldn't find her brother and Kraden. What would she ever tell her mother? In the later parts of her travels with Piers, Nowell kept coming across stories of Rief's travels with Matthew and the rest of the party, in addition to hearing about the calamity the Eclipse brought. She was sure her beloved twerp of a brother was in hugely over his head.

She'd never forgive herself is something had happened to him. She had told herself that Rief would be fine when she decided to sail off with Piers, but she was never sure. After all, Rief had been in the center of the Eclipse. Nowell had promised her mother she'd watch over Rief, and then abandoned him to go on some dumb boat ride. She'd been blindly smitten with a man she barely knew, who was actually thousands of years older than her and probably looked right through her the whole time. What kind of excuse was that? Her mother was probably of the most forgiving people in the world (and also the most boring), but Nowell knew she'd be finished the moment she set foot in Imil again.

Nowell had been a complete moron. She knew her mother had been even worse. _If Rief is still alive, _Nowell thought, _I hope that love won't make him into the idiot I am. _

And then, almost like an answer to all her burning questions, Matthew was standing just a few paces away from her in the hotel lobby.

Without thinking, she cried out his name.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Ayuthay**_

Today, the Ice Queen had a visitor. This sort of encounter always produced a winner and a loser. And she had lost.

"What is it that you want from me?" she asked him. "I can see quite well that you don't need my Psynergy."

"No, I don't need your Psynergy," Arcanus agreed. "I'd like you to do my bidding though, after you conquer the mind of a certain someone."

"And who might that be?"

"Your previous carrier."

"But he's just a boy," she protested. "I only enslave _adult _men."

"Ah, but now _I've_ enslaved _you_," Arcanus said, smiling triumphantly. "You'll do as I say."

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Belinsk**_

__"Uhh hey… have I met you?" Matthew asked, blushing with embarrassment. "You look familiar, but I can't place it."

"I'm Nowell, you know, Rief's sister! We met at the Konpa Ruins," Nowell exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, I do remember you," Matthew said apologetically, not quite sure how to handle the half-hysterical girl he'd been ambushed by. He'd only seen her once before.

"Is Rief with you?"

"No."

"Do you know where he is?" Nowell asked, her heart beginning to pound. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know where he is," Matthew admitted. "Last I heard he was in Ayuthay's capital," he explained, before telling her all about the Ayuthayan prince's disappearance as well as much of what she missed during the Eclipse.

"Well, thank you for looking after my brother; sorry for the burden," Nowell said after he had finished.

"Oh, Rief wasn't that much of a burden," Matthew assured. "I'm sure he's fine wherever he is. He can take care of himself."

Nowell seriously doubted that.

"Are you sure you should be here?" Matthew asked.

"Why not?" Nowell replied.

"Well, this place is in a civil war, and it's not really a good time to be a human in Belinsk," Matthew explained.

"How long," Nowell asked, "have you been here yourself?"

"Nearly a month," Matthew said, looking down.

"Why?"

"I'm waiting," he said softly, "for Karis and Tyrell to return."

"If you can survive a month here, I'm sure I can too," she said dryly.

"I'll leave soon though," Matthew vowed, now facing away from her. "I told Karis I'd go searching for her in a month, and that time has almost passed. My Echo Gem will lead me to her."

Nowell could see it; it was glaringly obvious. _He's totally insane, almost as bad as me! _

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Ayuthay, a day later**_

Rief's mind was held captive by dreams. Before him stood a woman, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He recognized her as the Ice Queen, but he never recalled her being this beautiful.

A part of his mind was aware of the danger. Hordes of men had fallen victims to her spell, becoming her slaves. He vaguely knew he could easily suffer the same fate. And yet, for some reason, it didn't seem to matter. All that mattered to him was _her_.

Rief was consumed by an unfamiliar feeling. He had only felt anything like this once before- in Chafko's chamber, when he had looked at Chafko's scantily clad servant girls (or whatever those were). But what he had felt in Chafko's chambers was nothing compared to the spell he was now under.

Rief had no idea where this feeling came from, and had no idea how to handle it. Perhaps this was what they called love? But how could he be in love with the Ice Queen?

But it didn't seem to matter why he was here and what he was doing. All that seemed to matter was how beautiful she was. Rief could only stare. He was dying to touch her, but somehow he couldn't. Somehow, he was frozen, and knew he couldn't move. He wished he could touch her, but somehow he knew it wasn't possible, and that made him sad. He _wanted _her. Badly. The ache that he felt was painful, but somehow he didn't want it to end. Instead, he could willingly just stand there, staring at her for an eternity. He wouldn't realize there was something terribly wrong.

He didn't register that the Ice Queen had managed to completely immobilize his brain as he lay unconscious. He didn't realize that he was rendered incapable of resisting the Tuaparang as they imprisoned him and stripped him of his possessions.

The Ice Queen had built for herself a palace in Rief's brain. He had let her. He had barely noticed, in fact. All he ever paid attention to was her presence, not what she or anyone else was doing. In his trance, he hadn't noticed that Arcanus had infiltrated into his mind and was probing, keen to discover everything there was to know about him.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Interlude: Background on Sahha, Part 1**_

_ Sahha was founded as a market town. For this purpose, it was located at an ideal position. It sat in the center of the valley that connected the Morgal's northwestern plateau to the rest of the country, while the rest was blocked off by either thick forests, steep mountains, or both. _

_ Due to Sahha's status as a trading hub, a considerable number of beastmen (who were traditionally nomadic) settled down in the town, establishing themselves as traders. At first, they had an occasionally violent rivalry with the original human merchants, but eventually both sides came to see the necessity cooperation rather than competition. _

_ From then on, Sahha's beastmen and humans lived in harmony, and they worked together to bring about a golden age of prosperity for the town. The town weathered quite well during the chaos and the wars of the previous decades. Even when humans from the surrounding countryside fought the Morgallian guerrilla army in the later stages of the Morgallian War of Independence, Sahha's ethnic harmony seemed to go undisturbed. _

_ The harmony and stability Sahha enjoyed contrasted with the misery of the surrounding countryside. The rulers of both Sana and newly-independent Morgal completely ignored the plight of the rural hinterland, causing the peasants to remain illiterate and uneducated. As a result, wealthy city merchants were able to swindle them with outrageously lopsided deals. The rural humans were trapped in a cycle of backwardness and poverty, for which they blamed the city dwellers. _

_ Many impoverished rural humans moved to the city to improve their miserable lives, but they were met with a mix of condescension, hostility and fear from the city dwellers. They were seen as both backwards and criminally-inclined due to their impoverished backgrounds, and were shunned and oppressed within their new homes. Indeed, when Kolima was "cursed", Sahha's leaders preferred to cut off all contact with the neighboring village in order to "prevent the dirty curse from spreading", rather than aiding the neighboring village in its time of need. _

_The Eclipse ended the façade of stability. During the Eclipse, the Morgallian army, which ran the country in the absence of the king, did nothing to help the eastern regions, preferring to defend "true" Morgallian beastmen. This, compounded with the fact that Volechek, the symbol of the nation, had been responsible for starting the Eclipse, caused the humans' well of grievances to overflow. Soon after the Eclipse ended, rebellion spread like wildfire…_

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Sahha Town, the next day, afternoon**_

By the time that Sahha came into sight, Karis was about ready to collapse. They had spent every waking hour walking, almost constantly, for days.

_Well at least Tyrell agreed that we would rest in Kolima if there's a place for us there, _she thought appreciatively.

Karis couldn't get over her sense of like déjà vu. She was traveling into Northeast Morgal to save a royal prisoner, just like she had months ago. Just like the last time, there was a considerable threat that the rescue attempt could lead them into a nasty trap. _I sure hope it doesn't turn into anything like last time, _Karis thought apprehensively, recalling how they had ultimately been manipulated into helping trigger the Grave Eclipse.

_Another similarity, _Karis reflected, _is that I'm on this trip because of Tyrell. _Last time, the original reason they ventured into Morgal was to obtain a Roc Feather, to replace the Soarwing that Tyrell ruined in his botched flying attempt.

Tyrell had always been a mystery to Karis. On the one hand, he quite often acted so recklessly that one would conclude he was a complete idiot. On the other hand, she knew Tyrell actually _wasn't _the least bit stupid; he was actually quite perceptive. _But why, then, does he act so brashly, time after time? Surely he must realize his mistake._

Karis recalled that after Tyrell burned down Patcher's Place, her father Ivan had told her that Garet, Tyrell's father, could be quite reckless. Maybe it was a family trait. But, according to her father, Garet never did anything that stupid.

_Maybe, _Karis realized, _it's because of Garet in a different way. _For all his childhood, Tyrell had lived in Garet's shadow. People called him "Garet's son" more than "Tyrell", and she knew Tyrell hated that. _Perhaps Tyrell feels the need to prove himself in order to stand as an individual in his own right. _In addition, Karis figured that Tyrell probably feared failing to live up to his father's example. Karis could easily relate to that; she felt the same way sometimes.

_But I always had my mother, who reassured me that I didn't need to be a clone of my father to be a good person, _Karis thought. In contrast, Tyrell's mother left when he was three years old, never to be seen again, after a huge fight with his father. As she understood it, Garet had banished her. Ever since then, Tyrell and his father had lived with Isaac, Jenna and their son Matthew. That was why Matthew and Tyrell were practically like brothers. And yet, they were so different.

_Perhaps his mother's absence could be another reason for Tyrell's antics, _Karis pondered. _On the other hand, though, Rief lacks a father, and he doesn't have any glaring personality defects._

Karis remembered that Amiti lacked _both _parents. And on top of that he had the stress of being the presumptive heir to a kingdom._ But he doesn't seem that messed up, _Karis remarked to herself.

Then, she realized how wrong she was. On the surface, Amiti seemed fine, but he was actually one of the most awkward people she'd ever met, in so many different ways. When he was leaving Ayuthay, he didn't say goodbye to anyone except his uncle, the king. When she asked why, Amiti told her that he didn't think he had any friends there. He'd lived nineteen years in the capital city as the prince of the kingdom, yet he didn't think he had any good friends there.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Interlude Continued**_

…_The human rebellion started in the Southeast of Morgal, in Port Rago, where the humans were relatively wealthy, profiting from trade in the Eastern Sea. Both the leadership of the rebels and their funding came from Rago, but most of the rank-and-file guerillas came from the rural Northeast. _

_Because of their different backgrounds, the northern humans saw the conflict very differently than their southern brethren did. Rago's population consisted almost exclusively of humans, who were educated and affluent. They perceived a national struggle to end Morgal's "foreign occupation". They aimed to create a new country they could call their own, and enter a golden age unhindered by Morgal's "oppression". Although southerners did complain of the unfair trade balance between Belinsk and Rago, The northern human peasant didn't understand any of this; in fact, he probably wouldn't even recognize the name "Pamorasak", which the rebellion's southern leadership had invented for the new country. Instead, most of them merely saw the struggle as an opportunity to finally take back the wealth that was rightfully there's, which the wealth that the upper classes in Sahha had been hoarding. _

_When Morgal's state authority collapsed, these bitter impoverished humans suddenly found themselves in a position of power. Many decided to exact a terrible revenge for all the years of oppression they'd suffered._

_For a week, the insurgents terrorized the beastmen of the city, as well as any wealthy humans deemed to be pro-Morgal. In some areas of the town, the entire resident population was forced to flee as the rebels seized their property. _

_Then, enraged by the horrific abuses committed by the humans and emboldened by news of the Morgallian army's advances, the beastmen "self-defense" militias struck back. These militias were for everything but self-defense. Like the rebels before them, the militias didn't distinguish between civilians and fighters, slaughtering (and often later devouring) any humans who were unfortunate enough to cross their path. _

_After this cycle of retaliatory massacres had substantially reduced the city's population, both the Morgal and rebel armies decided to intervene to save lives. Neither side recognized that civilians themselves had perpetrated the massacres, instead blaming each other. After the two armies had created their own shares of destruction, they managed to work out a ceasefire, to save the city they both claimed to have come to rescue from further carnage. By that point, however, there wasn't much left to save. _

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Sahha Town**_

Sahha Town was unsettlingly quiet. Baqsu had told them three days ago that a battle was raging in the town, so Karis had expected to walk into the crossfire. Rather than two battling armies, however, she couldn't see _anyone _in the town. This made her uneasy: the previous fiasco in the forest left her afraid of another ambush.

The town bore no resemblance to the bustling market town that Karis had visited with the rest of the troupe just a few months ago. She had no idea how much of the damage was from the Eclipse, but she could tell the current war was responsible for much of it from the clear signs of recent fires. The monsters of the Eclipse never brought fire. Karis wasn't sure it could be called a "town" anymore- it was more of a corpse of one.

Karis caught sight of the statue in the town center. It had been such a beautiful statue, she remembered, made of glittering marble. Now it was ruined and covered in ash, with parts breaking off and one large crack shaped like a lightning bolt running down the center. Karis recalled from the statue's inscription that it was dedicated to humans and beastmen who were "crusaders for peace and harmony" between the two races.

_The whole city, _Karis reflected, _shares the fate of that statue. It once had peace and harmony, but now it is broken, obliterated by this horrible war. _

"Hey!" a gruff voice yelled. "You furless human, you, there! What are you doing here?!"

She whipped around to see three beastmen leering at her and Tyrell menacingly. _ Oh no, not this again, _she despaired_._

"We're just passing through," Karis answered, her hand immediately reaching for her bow.

"Don't you know," asked one soldier, "you're violating the ceasefire agreement?"

"We weren't the ones who signed that agreement," Tyrell shot back.

"We're mere travelers, not rebels," Karis explained.

"Oh, so you expect us to believe that crap?" demanded another soldier. "What sort of ordinary traveler is armed and ventures into a warzone?"

"So," the third soldier asked slyly, "what should we do with these buffoons? They broke the ceasefire agreement and now they're at our mercy."

"If you lay a finger on them," threatened a quivering voice from behind the soldiers, "my bow will slay you!"

It was Baqsu. _He must have followed us this whole way, _Karis realized.

Suddenly, Baqsu collapsed forward, and fell into a pair of thick, beastman arms that shout out from behind him. The decorated, hulking figure that appeared behind Baqsu looked vaguely familiar to Karis. He ripped Baqsu's bow out of his hands and broke it in half like a twig.

"Brothers, the human pup was right. They are indeed travelers, though I wouldn't call them 'ordinary'" the huge beastman told his subordinates. Clearly, this beastman, with all his regalia, was a decorated commander. His soldiers looked at him in disbelief.

"In fact," continued the commander, "if you were to engage them in battle, I don't think you'd stand a chance. These are the children of the Warriors of Vale who saved our kingdom from the Eclipse. If you harm them, you'd have to answer to the queen... and me. I expect you'd treat them with the respect they deserve."

The soldiers hastily backed off from Karis and Tyrell and began apologizing profusely and bowing to their commander. They didn't, however, apologize to Karis or Tyrell.

The commander came forward and offered his hand. "Hello," he said. "I am General Fashty. I believe we've met in the Belinsk Palace?"

"Oh, yes, I thought I recognized you," Karis replied. "It's good to see you again."  
_Was he there, _Karis wondered anxiously,_ when Tyrell threw that temper tantrum at the court? _

"I remembered you too," mumbled Tyrell, looking away as he clasped Fashty's hand.

"Oh Tyrell, I remember you quite well too. How could I forget the show you put on for us?" Fashty replied with a polite smile and a chuckle. Karis shuddered.

_Fashty's quite an interesting character, _Karis thought. Somehow, he managed give off the tough, even brutish, air of a military commander and the polished wit of the royal court at the same time.

"I assume you two are heading north to rescue Ayuthay's Prince? I can escort you to Kolima, if you wish," offered Fashty.

"Yes, that would be wonderful of you," Karis quickly said, before Tyrell had a chance to refuse.

"It's my pleasure," Fashty replied. "After all, it's miniscule compared to how you ended the Eclipse."

"Well, you have our gratitude in any case," said Karis.

Fashty ordered his subordinates to pick up Baqsu's unconscious body and carry it with them. Baqsu would be taken prisoner. It distressed Karis to think about this. She was in debt to both Baqsu and Fashty, but she worried about what the beastmen would do to Baqsu while he was in captivity. She knew she couldn't do anything to help him though- she had promised Sveta not to get involved in the conflict, and especially not to take a side. And furthermore, whatever Baqsu would endure in Morgal's prisons, Amiti probably had it much worse under the custody of the Tuaparang. Karis knew it would be ridiculous to distract herself (and Tyrell) from saving Amiti with the diversion of saving Baqsu.

"Which route," Fashty asked her, "do you wish to take? The route leading to Kolima's main entrance… or you could show me the route through the sewer through which you were probably planning to go?"

_He knows about that! _Karis grimaced as she thought that peaceful Kolima would soon be overrun by the army. Beside her Tyrell clenched his fists and looked away.

Karis couldn't help but wonder if Fashty had a second motive. After all, wasn't this turning into a great opportunity for him to scout out the territory upon which he'd be making his future assault plans?

"We'll take the main entrance," Tyrell answered grimly_. [BETA:maybe a better adjective? It should imply that he has come to a grave realization] _

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Kolima **_

__Something about Fashty gave Tyrell the chills. Fashty had saved them from another tussle with soldiers, but instead of being thankful, Tyrell felt profoundly disturbed. Perhaps there was nothing sinister going on at all. But then again, didn't it seem awfully convenient that while Fashty was nobly escorting "civilians" across a warzone, he'd get a tour of the territory behind enemy lines? It wasn't only Tyrell's instinct that was telling him something was wrong –his brain concurred.

It wouldn't be long before they reached Kolima's gate, and Tyrell had a driving desire to get rid of Fashty before they did. He wanted absolutely no part in the general's schemes. He didn't know whether Karis was thinking the same thing, or if she would be annoyed with him for trying to get rid of Fashty, but he didn't have the luxury of asking her opinion.

"Sir, General Fashty," Tyrell began, "we are close enough to Kolima to make it there on our own. Don't you think things could get ugly if you and your beastmen soldiers come to Kolima's gate with us?"

Fashty paused awhile before answering, apparently contemplating his response. "I believe my soldiers and I can take care of ourselves, even in such a tense situation, though I appreciate your concern," he said finally.

"I don't doubt that," Karis replied to him. "But we're concerned mainly in self-interest. We would rather not risk getting caught in the crossfire between you and Kolima's humans."

Tyrell was relieved that Karis was on his side in this. Now, things would be so much easier.

Fashty paused again, thinking, as his subordinates looked at him anxiously. "Sveta is your friend, is she not?" he asked.

"Yes, she is our friend," Karis affirmed. "Morgal is lucky to have such a pure-hearted queen."

_It's too bad that this pure-hearted queen is stuck with a military full of bloodthirsty thugs, _Tyrell retorted silently. He held his tongue, though, mainly for Amiti's sake. He believed Karis when she told him that if he acted upon his impulses, it could delay their progress.

"Do you know," Fashty asked, "how it would affect poor Queen Sveta if she were to lose nearly half of Morgal's territory and all its access trade in the Eastern Sea, just after her coronation?"

Tyrell remembered how uncomfortable Sveta had been on that throne, how unsure she had been of her position. Sveta had always said that she knew little of politics, and ruling a kingdom was hard even if you were knowledgeable, charismatic and wise. Sveta clearly didn't think she was any of these. No wonder she relied on those manipulative advisors so much- _advisors like Fashty, _Tyrell thought darkly_._

"She might never recover from it- and neither would Morgal," Fashty argued, turning toward the West, at Belinsk. "In fact, we would be terribly weak afterward, and Bilibin or Sana might even take the chance to invade us. Imagine… Morgal would be oppressed, and Sveta would be executed."

Fashty turned back to face the travelers. "We, the sons of this land, have been fighting hard, laying down our lives, to save our beloved Motherland and Queen from this horrid fate, and won't rest until the threat recedes," Fashty vowed. His subordinates looked at him in admiration and agreement, feeling full of purpose.

Tyrell wasn't convinced though. As Fashty spoke of how he and his soldiers were nobly fighting to save their "Motherland" and Queen, he couldn't help but remember that burnt human village whose inhabitants had all been massacred and then eaten by Morgal's army.

Rage churned in Tyrell's chest. Fashty was using Sveta and "Motherland" as an excuse for all the horrible things the army was doing. For Fashty, a couple thousand massacred humans was nothing if it was to save the "Motherland." Tyrell did his best to contain his rage, though, letting Karis handle the situation, knowing that she felt the same way.

"And now, you want us to help you, don't you?" Karis deduced. "You want us to play along with your pretense of 'escorting us', to give you a chance to scout out Kolima, which I assume you will attack next, once you've finished off the resistance in Sahha, right?"

"You're a smart girl," Fashty said with a smile. "You're father Ivan should be proud of you."

"Thank you," Karis said stiffly.

"Well, what do you say? Will you do just this little bit?"

"Your appeal is very moving," Karis said. Tyrell suddenly feared that this creep could have actually persuaded her.

"However," Karis continued, "I also made a vow to your Queen, at her request, that we would avoid getting involved in the conflict."

"But if it would help Queen Sveta greatly, even then you'd refuse?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Yes," Karis replied. "As men of the military, who must always follow orders… surely you wouldn't try to make me break a vow to your queen, would you?"

"…of course not," affirmed Fashty. "We will depart now, to scout the area on our own. Farewell."

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Ayuthay**_

___Where am I, _Rief wondered, confused, a little panicked, and only half awake. He looked around to see that he was in an elaborately decorated bath chamber. He was standing in the bath, and the water was up to his knees. His memory offered no explanations for how he had gotten here. In fact, he was having trouble remembering anything at all.

For some reason, something told him he had been staring at a particularly beautiful woman- probably the Ice Queen- for a very, very long period of time. He shuddered with embarrassment. _No, _he told himself, _it's _extremely _unlikely that that's what happened. It makes no sense and explains nothing. _

In the bottom of his view, he saw a cloud of red spreading in the water. What was that?

Suddenly, Rief heard a gurgling sound from beneath him. He looked down, and inadvertently gasped at the grotesque sight of an old man's corpse. The man had been stabbed through the throat, many times. Rivers of blood were pouring into the water from his neck. The old man's mouth and eyes were wide open, in shock.

Rief yelped out in pain as something very sharp pierced his foot. He must have dropped this object out of shock when he saw the dying old man. His nerves screamed in pain as it ripped through his foot. Out of impulse, he reached down, and his hand grasped a handle. He yanked the object up, and his foot exploded with even more pain. The pain clouded his tired senses, and he writhed in the agony. And yet, the haze of the pain did not obscure to Rief the fact that he was holding a knife. _This_ was the object he had dropped.

_I've been holding a knife, _Rief thought, his heart pulsing in his throat as he digested what the information meant.

He looked down at the corpse. The man's jaw was mutilated, but he still recognized the face of King Paithos of Ayuthay.

This was crazy. Now, both Rief's foot and his brain were screaming. Words could not describe how unbearable the agony was. He writhed, clutched himself, and screamed aloud again.

Rief had no explanation for whatever madness this was, but there was one thing that did make sense- _far too much sense._

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Next Chapter: The Swan Prince**_

_**Author's Notes:**_

*Next chapter will be a major one.

***Don't forget to review- I'd love to hear any response you have, it doesn't have to be polished or anything. It takes only a minute. **

*The poll on my user-profile-page is still up. Please vote if you haven't already.


	12. Chapter 12: Bath of Blood, Part II

Before-notes:

1. Dhikshe and Maityo, in case you forgot, are the Ayuthay palace guards from Chapter 3. Dhikshe also was the one whom Rief overheard gossiping with Tsaksido, a young nobleman. Genvalis was Paithos' frustrated advisor from Chapter 2.

**2. I really like reviews. Please don't hesitate to leave one :).**

**CHAPTER 12: BATH OF BLOOD PART II**

~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~

**_Ayuthay_**

The sound of approaching footsteps cut through the haze of Rief's confusion and hysteria, and suddenly everything seemed to fit together.

Somehow, he had found himself in some luxurious bath chamber. He was wading in the water of a fairly large bath, fully clothed. The water was very warm, with large, smoke-like clouds of a thick, red liquid swirling around throughout it.

That red liquid was blood.

Most of it was coming from a corpse, right next to Rief, of an old man whose throat had been slashed open.

The old man happened to be the King of Ayuthay.

The rest of the blood came from Rief's own foot, which had been ripped open when a knife plunged into it. Rief himself had dropped that knife out of shock, which meant that he had previously been holding it.

"King Paithos! Are you all right?!" Rief heard a voice cry. The beat of footsteps grew louder and faster. It was like an occult drum, beckoning the coming of the end.

In any rational analysis, the obvious conclusion would be that Rief had murdered the king of one of the most powerful kingdoms in Ei-Jei.

Rief twisted to face the door to the chamber, his wounded foot wrenching with pain as he pivoted. He saw that the king's body wasn't the only corpse here: bodies were scattered all over the bath chamber's tiled floor. Puddles of blood outnumbered puddles of water. The sight was incredibly grotesque, but Rief's consciousness merely took note of it without any recoil. His nerves had become numb from the horrors he had previously seen, and now the instinct of self-preservation had kicked in.

_If the palace guards see me here, armed with a dagger in a bloody bath chamber full of corpses, there'd be nothing I could say_, Rief realized. He didn't even have a good explanation to himself, except that he couldn't imagine himself murdering the king and had no memory of doing it.

Rief knew that he had to escape, somehow. But he had no idea how. The only exit he could see was the door, through which the guards would be bursting any second now. _How in the world did I get in here_, Rief wondered. This chamber was obviously part of Paithos' Palace; the guards obviously would never willingly let anyone into the king's bath chamber. His psynergy didn't feel like it had been used, and there was no way he could have fought all those guards all the way up to the king's bath chamber with just a dagger.

_I have utterly no idea how I could have possibly gotten in here_, Rief conceded painfully, _and that means I have no idea how to get out. _

_I'm finished_, Rief despaired. _Who would've thought, after fighting against all sorts of monsters to save Angara, I go to sleep in a hotel and wake up about to die, framed in some freak murder scene in a bath chamber, with no idea how I got there?_

Rief looked back down at King Paithos' hideous corpse. It was ironic for him too. Having just recovered from a life-threatening illness, he was suddenly slaughtered while bathing, not expecting a thing. _Death sees no value in human rationality and gives no warnings_, observed Rief grimly.

Suddenly, the thumping of footsteps stopped. Rief knew what that meant: the guards had reached the door. He gulped, awaiting fate.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Kolima**_

Unlike Sahha, Kolima still resembled the town from which Tyrell had departed months ago, before the Eclipse. That wasn't to say that there weren't plenty visible signs of damage, but Kolima wasn't the corpse that its southern neighbor had become. According to the town's inhabitants, the Waelda, local tree deities, had managed to protect the town from most of the carnage the Eclipse brought. Afterwards the rebels, wholeheartedly supported by the population, had gained control without any fight, so there was no damage from the current conflict either… yet.

There was, however, one fairly major difference: the town now had a new layer of walls. These climbed much higher than the original structure, which remained behind the new one. A few sentry towers had also been added. Mindful of local sensibilities, the rebels had built the new fortifications using stone rather than wood, giving the town a forbidding, fortress-like air.

When the sentries recognized Karis and Tyrell, the stone gates were flung open for them. Inside, most of the scenery of the town remained the same, and they were enthusiastically greeted by many of the same villagers they had met in their previous stay. However, the population as a whole was quite different. Many of the able-bodied men were missing- presumably fighting or dead in Sahha- and many of those that were present were armed. They constituted part of the moderately sized force of rebels who were stationed to protect the town.

Most activity in the town seemed to revolve around the conflict, and a tense air pervaded the town. Rebel fighters regularly entered and exited, probably going to and from Sahha. Those that returned were swarmed by townspeople, who were glad to see them still alive and anxious to know how the latest news from Sahha. Everyone knew that their town would be attacked once Sahha had fallen.

"If Morgal's army ever makes it here, they'll consider everyone here guilty of helping the rebels," Tyrell noted, as he and Karis walked through the village.

"Well, they all _are_," Karis observed gravely. And she was right- the families of Kolima housed rebels and sent their sons to fight alongside them. The women and the elderly prepared food and tended to the wounded, while the children of the town sat in the branches of the town's trees, acting as scouts. _Everyone is involved somehow, so everyone is guilty._

"And that means," Tyrell realized, "that everyone here will be punished if Morgal takes the town."

It could even be annihilated.

"Yeah, it does," Karis affirmed gravely.

Tyrell clenched his fists.

"We shouldn't be concerning ourselves with these things though," Karis said. "We're only trying to rescue Amiti as soon as possible, right?"

"Yeah," Tyrell agreed, rubbing his finger.

The two then headed off to the inn, not wanting a repeat of the last night they spent in the woods.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Ayuthay**_

No one could dispute that Ayuthay's capital was well-guarded. The whole city was surrounded by a lake and enclosed within a nearly impenetrable fortress. Only the royal family and the nobles could navigate the secret passageways to get inside. Everyone else needed the approval of its guards.

This was the reason that Kaocho failed to conquer Ayuthay. Kaocho had successfully crushed Ayuthayan resistance throughout the countryside, and yet it pathetically failed every attempt to breach the capital city. To complete the humiliation, a small troupe (which Arcanus strongly suspected to include a familiar group of adepts) exited the castle, defeated Kaocho's generals in combat, and took them prisoner, forcing King Wo to evacuate the rest of his forces from the kingdom to salvage what was left of Kaocho's military reputation.

Within the city, the palace was at least as impenetrable. It had countless guards and security protocols combined with what would seem to an outsider like a labyrinth. At various points, the outsider would be confronted by what appeared to be impassable walls. These actually contained secret passageways, which only insiders knew how to trigger.

But none of these obstacles mattered for Arcanus. He had strolled through its defenses many times. _They must think they're so safe, surrounded by that enormous lake_, Arcanus thought, amused. Little did they know, water was no obstacle for him.

As Rief stared gravely at the door, the water beside him began violently churning, frothing and steaming, just like it was boiling. Clutching his stained robes, closing his eyes and holding his breath, Rief didn't notice Arcanus materializing from the rising steam.

The guard's footsteps pounded closer and closer. Arcanus had come exactly on time, just as he planned. If he was the slightest bit later, the whole plan could go awry. Most people would not take such risks, but Arcanus always did. If there wasn't any peril for him, he might get bored. In Arcanus' mind, boredom was a far greater threat than the inconceivable notion that he could miscalculate.

Immediately after emerging from the steam, Arcanus flung his hand forward and waved it to the side. Steam billowed out of the tub, quickly spreading throughout the room. It smothered the guard's vision as he opened the door, rendering him unable to see a thing.

Arcanus had complete confidence in his own abilities, certain he would never blunder. However, he had learned through experience that others could throw a monkey into his careful designs as easily as they breathed. For this reason, he tried to control their actions through various means, or at least to be certain of what they'd do and plan accordingly.

However, occasionally Arcanus encountered an actor who was unpredictable or uncontrollable. Such was the case with both Rief and this guard. Arcanus had no choice but to neutralize such actors, lest they jeopardize his calculations. _Sorry, my boy, but you'll be going back to sleep._

Arcanus carefully reached over to Rief's shoulder and planted a dart in it. He caught Rief as he fell, and set him down on the side of the tub. Then he turned his attentions to the guard, who was letting out an ear-splitting scream, having stumbled (literally) upon the first of the many dead bodies scattered across the floor.

"Not so calm and composed now, are we?" Arcanus asked.

The guard opened his mouth to demand who had spoken, but he couldn't get the words out. Arcanus was holding his palm out toward the man, beckoning the steam to gather and condense in his throat. The gallons of water materializing in his mouth muted any sound he might've made as Arcanus approached him.

Once close enough, Arcanus deployed another dart on the man. He ran forward to catch the man as he fell, and carried him back to the tub.

Arcanus then turned his attention back to Rief. He healed the boy's foot, pried the knife from his hands, and then squeezed on the body. Rief immediately melted into a fairly sized puddle of water. Arcanus gathered the puddle above his hand and froze it into a chunk of ice, which he dropped into his pouch. Rief would be stored there safely while Arcanus hurriedly set up a convincing murder scene that would surely only incriminate palace insiders.

Arcanus deposited the murder knife into the submerged guard's throat, so it'd look like he had been killed by the knife rather than forced drowning. He plucked off the dart, which obviously didn't come from Ayuthay and was made using psynergy.

Once he was finished creating his façade, Arcanus gathered all the steam in the tub and condensed it into a pool of liquid, into which he then melted. Arcanus made his exit through the tub's drain.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Kolima**_

The fair-haired innkeeper was the same woman who had hosted Tyrell and Karis (and the others) before, when they had freed Kolima of its nightmare "curse".

"My, have the glorious heroes from afar come back to rescue Kolima from monsters again?" she cooed.

"Do we have the Warriors of Dawn on our side?" her daughter asked excitedly.

"No, actually," Tyrell replied awkwardly, reluctant to disappoint her. "We're en route to rescue Amiti, who's being held hostage north of here by the Tuaparang."

"That's the one with the long blue hair, right?" asked the daughter.

Tyrell nodded.

"Well then," the innkeeper began apologetically, "I'm sorry, but we don't have room. The few rooms we have here in this tree are more than full."

"There must be hundreds of soldiers staying here," her daughter added.

"Please don't look like that," said the innkeeper remorsefully. "This really pains me, because our gratitude to you is endless, but we have no choice. I couldn't possibly kick out the men who are protecting our lives."

"Hey, but I bet some of them might volunteer their spots if you guys were to aid their struggle," suggested the daughter. "For every beast you'd slay, you'd save the lives of at least ten of them."

"If you'd do that," the innkeeper offered, "I promise I would find a way to help you, no matter how many of them I have to kick out. I know they'd trade their sleep for your assistance any day!"

Karis bit her lip, not knowing what to say. It seemed like the whole world was conspiring to make her break her promise of neutrality.

"You know," said the innkeeper, "if Sahha falls, it could be the end for us. Those animals will wipe this whole place off the map."

"We're not only fighting for freedom, we're also fighting for survival," explained the daughter.

"Could you… give us some time to think about it?" asked Karis.

"Of course."

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Ayuthay**_

Maityo feared the worst as he charged down the hallway to the bath chamber. He was following Thavan, the general of the palace guards, as were Dhikshe and Katia, a cleaning maid. Upon hearing screams coming from the bath chamber, Segallus, the guard patrolling that area, apparently told her to inform others before he went to investigate it himself. She had found Thavan and reported to him. Segallus never returned.

The sight that greeted Maityo as he threw open the door to the bath chamber was everything he feared and worse. The bath tub was overflowing, the tiled floor covered in puddles of water mixed with blood from the twisted bodies that were strewn all around.

_Bloody murder_.

Katia let out a shriek of horror.

"I'd recommend you not look; it'll only get worse," Thavan advised the middle-aged maid.

Paithos had reigned for a long time. Maityo was young enough that he had never known another ruler. Paithos had been with the people of Ayuthay through so much. His wise hand had guided Ayuthay to survive the drought, the Sanan invasion, and the eclipse. It seemed impossible that he wouldn't be there anymore.

_How can Ayuthay survive without him?_ Maityo couldn't imagine life continuing without King it?

Maityo held his breath as the four of them drew closer to the tub. That was where his king would be, he knew.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Kolima**_

Karis sat on the same mattress that she had slept on their previous visit. The innkeeper had instructed her to stay here while she made up her mind- a thinly disguised attempt to influence her decision, Karis thought.

Tyrell had left to get food for her. She had found it a pleasant surprise that he was letting her decide on important matters like this without interfering, and of course food was more than welcome, after all that walking. Karis found herself staring at the doorway longingly. But before food arrived, she wanted to have made a decision.

Karis was in a bind. She felt like she was being forced to betray either Sveta or the people of Kolima.

Sveta had been a great friend. Karis didn't want to break her promise to Sveta. And then Fashty's words echoed in Karis' mind: if Sveta couldn't suppress the rebellion, her throne, her kingdom and maybe even her life could be jeopardized.

But then what about the people of this city, who had always been so kind? Karis had seen what Morgal's army could do. It wasn't impossible that the whole town would be slaughtered, and perhaps eaten alive too. The might also burn down the whole Kolima Forest, and Weyard would lose the Waelda forever.

Karis wanted to scream in frustration. No matter what choice she made, she knew she'd be betraying someone. Why did this have to happen? Why did this whole conflict have to happen? There was no outcome that didn't produce losers who would suffer and die.

And as for Amiti, both options would be bad. If they traveled by night, they could get ambushed again before they could reach him. If they fought for the rebels, they'd get trapped in the conflict.

_Why do I have to make decisions like this?_ Karis moaned to herself. She almost wished that someone else would make the decision for her, so then she could at least tell herself it wasn't her choice and therefore wasn't _her_ fault.

At last, the door swung open and Tyrell emerged. He was empty handed.

A lump rose in Karis' throat. Tyrell hadn't gotten food, so what had he been doing? Had he gone and made the decision on his own?

_Be careful what you wish for_, Karis thought darkly, _because it might actually come true…_

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Ayuthay**_

"Peace be upon you, your Majesty. Ayuthay will never forget how you graced us with your reign," General Thavan swore as he knelt before the tub in which his monarch's corpse lay. Paithos had been stabbed in the throat multiple times. It was grotesque.

Dhikshe and Maityo collapsed to the ground before the tub, wailing in grief.

"Who would do such a thing?" Maityo demanded. He got no answer.

There was another body – Segallus' - lying in the same tub, though the guards barely noticed him. Katia, however, noted the knife in his throat - _the murder weapon._ _Segallus had been the last to die._

"Well, men, we must clean up this mess here," ordered Thavan. "We must prepare to give our king a proper burial."

A deep unease arose in Katia's throat. Something was very, very wrong here. A monarch had been murdered in cold blood along with a score of his attendants, and these men were just cleaning up the "mess".

"There was a cold-blooded murder here, blood everywhere," she ejected, quivering, "and you, you guards, you aren't _a bit_ concerned about it, are you?!"

"What… what do you mean," Maityo asked, his eyes wide.

"_Someone_ murdered our king, _someone_ is a _murderer_," the woman explained darkly, "and they are _in this castle_ as we speak. And you're helping them get away with it."

"How can you say that?" Dhikshe demanded.

"Unless you guards are _completely_ incompetent, there's no chance that it was an outsider to the palace. _Someone_ betrayed and _murdered our king_, and they reside _right here_ among us! You're cleaning up the scene of the murder, and erasing all the evidence that could implicate them!" Katia cried, shaking with anger.

"How dare you, you insolent _cunt_!" Dhikshe howled. "How _dare_ you insult-"

"Dhikshe, that is enough!" barked Thavan. "Both of you two- take our sovereign's body from this wretched place immediately!"

The two guards quickly carried the barely recognizable corpse away.

Katia opened her mouth in protest as they left, but Thavan seized her and cupped his hand over her mouth.

"This is for your own good," he explained. "I know you're hysterical, but you mustn't let yourself say such things."

Once the guards' footsteps faded away, he released her gently.

"Do you just not get it," Katia spat between gasps, narrowing her eyes at the guard general, "or… is there a _reason_ you want to destroy the evidence?"

"You're only a maid, you're quite vulnerable," he mused. _Is he threatening me?_ Katia thought, alarmed.

"I-I-I let the hysteria get to me!" she stammered. "Forgive my tongue, General."

Thavan frowned. "Yes, I actually realized all of these things myself," he said gravely, "but there's another part of the picture too."

"What do you mean?" Katia asked quietly, fairly afraid that with anything she said could endanger herself.

"Look at this situation: while our heir-apparent is mysteriously missing, our king is murdered with no heir chosen. What could that mean for Ayuthay?"

"Someone wants to usurp the throne."

"Yes of course," Thavan said. "You're smart for a maid, too smart for your own good in fact, but here I'll ask you to use your brains. There's no clear heir to the throne and many possible claimants. What does that mean?"

"They will all fight for it," Katia realized with a gasp, "and plunge this kingdom into turmoil."

"Exactly. And it gets worse," Thavan said gravely, "because many of our neighbors are unstable and hungry after this Eclipse. If they sense weakness or disunity, they could attack."

Katia hadn't realized just how grave this crisis had become.

"You are not to say a single word to anyone about what you saw here, understood?"

Katia nodded. She knew she had to trust that Thavan was just doing his best to protect Ayuthay from disaster.

"All people should be told is that a freak accident occurred here," Thavan thought aloud, "and if anyone questions this story, they will have to be silenced for disrespecting the dead and the court."

"But then, who will rule this land?" Katia asked timidly.

"It will be placed under military rule for the time being," Thavan answered.

And with that, all of Katia's suspicions returned. She hoped none of showed on her face, but feared that it did. Thavan narrowed his eyes as he studied her.

"You know," he mused, "it's really such a waste. A woman as sharp as you shouldn't be a maid."

Katia stared at him, confused and afraid to speak.

"I've always had my qualms about the rigidity of society here," Thavan explained with slight smile, "and I think you could be good for me."

Thavan reached out and stroked her cheek with his finger. Katia shivered in fear.

"Don't be afraid," he coaxed, "as long as you are good to me, I can be very good for you. You'll be wasted no more."

Katia knew better than to protest or resist him. Besides, she didn't really want to. Her monarch had just died, but this was becoming quite a good day for her.

"You won't say a thing, will you?" he asked.

"I would _never_," Katia breathed.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Kolima**_

"Hey," Tyrell said, "don't look so down- we're getting free food. It's not fancy, it's the stuff the resistance fighters get, but food is food and we need it."

"... and how did you arrange for us to get this food?" Karis asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

"We've also got ourselves hotel rooms now too," Tyrell said, grinning.

He had done something for the rebels.

"What have you done for the rebels behind my back?" Karis asked coldly. Karis was furious at Tyrell, but she was even angrier with herself for letting herself get duped by Tyrell, of all people.

"I gave them information, that Fashty wants to attack them through their sewers," Tyrell answered. "I got us a room and also a meal, without getting involved in the actual fighting or delaying the mission. C'mon, you gotta admit, that's pretty good, isn't it?"

_It actually is a fairly good balancing act, and quite resourceful_, Karis admitted silently. Karis was even a little relieved that Tyrell had taken the decision-making, and therefore the guilt, off of her shoulders. But that didn't mean she wasn't furious.

"You don't get it, do you?" she spat. "This is really serious!"

"No," Tyrell replied, surprisingly calmly, "it's you who doesn't get it. I'm rescuing Amiti on my _own_ accord, and I'm doing it_ my_ way. At first, you tried to stop me-"

Karis tried to protest this narrative, but Tyrell kept going.

"-when I took off anyways, you forced me to let you come along and forced me to pay double at the steakhouse by pretending to be my bride. Maybe you thought you could boss me around like you always have, but you were wrong. I'm rescuing Amiti; you're just coming along."

Somehow, Tyrell had managed keep cool throughout this whole affair. He still had his typical fiery determination, but now, for probably the first time ever, he had controlled his impulses and adroitly manipulated the situation. This was probably a great improvement for him– after all, that was much closer to Karis' own preferred method, which worked much better – but she found it infuriating.

Tyrell was obviously quite pleased with himself. _For Tyrell,_ Karis observed, _this is golden. He managed to help the people of Kolima while avoiding armed confrontation, he gets food and shelter without any delay in rescuing Amiti, and he has the satisfaction of successfully duping me._

Perhaps it was a sort of sweet revenge for Tyrell, Karis thought, to finally be able to present her with a fait accompli. Perhaps he considered it an accomplishment. But this was a serious matter, involving vows to friends, lives of countless people and the fate of a major war.

"How _childish_, how petty of you," she spat.

"What, it bothers you that I can make decisions without your permission?" Tyrell asked smugly.

"You're soooo proud of yourself, aren't you! You finally duped me real bad, just when I thought I could trust you! You must think you're such a_ genius_ now- well, good for you! Congratulations, but what about Sveta? Did you even think about her, one bit?" Karis demanded.

Tyrell opened his mouth but closed it. Karis doubted that he'd even considered Sveta's position.

"You heard what Fashty said!" Karis exclaimed, "you_ know_ what could happen to her if she can't put down- "

"Karis, shut the hell up!" Tyrell interrupted, making a cutting motion with his hand across his throat.

"People can hear us, you know- do you want them to know that you're friends with the Queen?" he whispered.

_He's right_, Karis realized painfully. Now, somehow, she was the one who had to be shut up before saying something idiotic. Shut up by _Tyrell. _

_The world must be going crazy._

"I'm off to eat," Tyrell said. "Coming?"

Karis knew there was no point in protesting. They needed food, after all.

_Tyrell's right, in a way_, Karis thought painfully. _I _am_ mad because I'm losing control, I guess I _am_ being somewhat of a control freak._

_But_, Karis protested silently, _look what's happening!_ Now two of the three promises to Sveta had been broken. The only remaining promise was to not leave Morgal's borders in pursuit of Alex.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Ayuthay, morning of the next day**_

"And that's everything you know?" Genvalis asked.

"Uh-huh, everything," replied Dhikshe.

"This is getting… very interesting," Genvalis mused.

"It was definitely Prince Chafko or his fruity bastard of a cousin," Tsaksido proclaimed.

"How can you defend that claim, son?" Genvalis asked.

"It's simple- clearly, only someone without morality would do something like this. Amiti openly proclaims his hostility to our noble values, and Chafko spits on morality by consorting with all sorts, regardless of class! Amiti is a bastard son born to some foreign trash, and who knows how many bastard peasants Chafko has fathered by now, huh? Only those two are amoral enough to commit a crime like this."

Genvalis nodded. "Well said. These bleeding heart sissies don't care a bit about the prestige of Ayuthay, all they care about are some peasant tramps. And if either of them were to rule, our morals and traditions would crumble, and, without those, our society would descend into chaos and barbarism."

"If Chafko rules we'll have twenty queens, and if Princess Amiti rules _we'll have a queen and no king_!" exclaimed Tsaksido.

Dhikshe giggled uncontrollably. It was not a pleasant sound.

"It'll be _disastrous_ if Ayuthay spirals downwards like this," Genvalis said seriously, eyeing Dhikshe disapprovingly. Dhikshe struggled to stop giggling.

"I think Ayuthay is in need of leadership!" Tsaksido exclaimed. "We proper men won't sit back and watch this happen, right father?"

"That's my son," Genvalis said proudly. "We must act fast- you mustn't fail me."

"I won't fail you, father," Tsaksido vowed. For all his life, it had always been excruciatingly hard to please his father. This would be the hardest test yet, but he was as ready as he'd ever be.

_-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-_

_**Kolima**_

Tyrell awoke in the hotel room to see an unfortunately familiar djinn bouncing on his chest.

"I… thought I'd never have to see you again, Pewter," Tyrell groaned. "Why… are you on top of me?"

"Geez, you really sleep like a log. You must have no idea how loooong I've been trying to wake you!" Pewter complained.

"Why… are you here? I thought you'd gotten all your 'field experience', so... why am I stuck with you again?"

"You know," Pewter cooed, "it's surprising you've survived so long. Why, if I was a monster, you'd be toast, sleeping like that! Some _warrior_ you are!"

"It's too bad you're _not_ a monster, because if you were I could kill you," Tyrell said through his teeth, almost sincerely.

"Oh, why would you want to such a thing? All I've ever done is bring joy and humor to your dreary life, and instead of appreciation I get death threats! You should be more gracious to others, or soon you'll have no friends," Pewter chastised.

"Just tell me the blasted excuse you have for being here" Tyrell growled.

"Laurel wants to see us," Karis sighed from across the room. "It's actually almost midday- we should get going."

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Next Chapter: The Swan Prince**_

_**Author's Notes:**_

*Names:

I. Segallus is from Albanian shkalle, meaning "stairway".

II. Katia is from Turkish kat, meaning "floor" or "storey".

III. Thavan is from Turkish/Albanian tavan, meaning "ceiling"

*Sorry that Karis and Tyrell didn't make it to Amiti yet in this chapter. I tried so hard to fit it in- that's why this chapter took so long. **They will make it to Amiti or at least Latakia in the next chapter**

*… but hopefully this chapter was fairly exciting/interesting in its own right?** Please review- tell me what you thought :).**


	13. Chapter 13: The Swan Prince

_**Before notes: **_

*During the lake scene, changes in alignment signify changes in perspective. Originally I had a three-way distinction (a specific alignment assigned to each character), but sadly this site does not allow right-alignment in text.

*This is a very important chapter, so I really want to know what you guys think. Please remember to review :).

**CHAPTER 13: SWAN PRINCE  
**_**~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~**_

_**Belinsk**_

The last night had been fitful for Nowell, as had every night before it, ever since she had arrived in this city. She had woken up in the middle of the night many times, reeling from her dreams. She remembered only the last of them.

Nowell had dreamt she was in a cabin in some foreign land she didn't she couldn't identify, but which was somehow deeply familiar. She couldn't remember the details, but there had been something she was hiding, and she had messed up somehow, causing some man to discover it. He had been furious, saying she'd betrayed him, cheated him… something like that. The two had quarreled fiercely.

As Nowell lied in bed, she couldn't make a bit of sense of these dreams. _Agh, there's no darn point in this anyways, _she decided. She had real-life problems to deal with, which were no less troubling. She still wanted to understand why these dreams kept happening, though.

Nowell pulled herself out of bed to get dressed. As she was doing so, she was jolted by a loud hammering on the door.

"Is Lady Nowell of Imil in this chamber?" a voice asked from the other side. It was high, but coarse, like that of a boy, or perhaps a female soldier.

Nowell, snorted. She had never heard herself addressed that way; it sounded rather bizarre. "Yeah, that's me," she called back.

Without warning, the door was flung open, exposing Nowell's half-naked form.

For a second, Nowell stared in shock at the open doorway. There stood a tall, though clearly immature, male beastman. He stood staring at her exposed chest, speechless.

The shock quickly turned into a hot anger.

"How dare you, insolent bastard!" she screamed, before hurling her book at him.

The book's pages caught on the shoulder plate of his armor, and a couple pages ripped as it fell to the ground. She had been enjoying that book.

"I'm… so sorry," he breathed, still frozen in place.

Nowell couldn't believe it. "Then why in the world are you still staring at me?!" she yelled as she hurled a pillow at him.

That bastard caught the pillow in his right hand at dropped it to the ground, probably sparing it from the same fate as the book.

"Please forgive me, madame!" he choked, abruptly averting his gaze.

Nowell grabbed her pajama shirt and put it on. She looked back at the boy. His face was as red as a tomato. The face was quite young-looking. Despite his height, that face and his high voice betrayed his youth. Nowell almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"Why didn't you ask it was okay to enter?" she asked.

"I'm s-so sorry!" he stammered. "This has never happened to me before… Morgallians always warn if it's not okay to enter when asked if they're inside. But I'm terribly sorry for slighting you!"

Nowell recalled Kraden telling her that the traditionally nomadic beastmen of Morgal had little respect for privacy. She still considered it a lame excuse, but she let it go nevertheless. The kid was probably younger than her brother.

"Who are you," she asked coolly, "and what's your business here?"

The boy took a breath. "I'm Zarelgy, a messenger for the Queen… She requests an audience with you tomorrow afternoon."

_What does the Queen want from me? _Nowell wondered. She didn't want to get involved in frilly royal business. She had been planning to leave this city soon if no word of Kraden or Rief came up.

"It's about your brother," Zarelgy added.

Nowell gulped apprehensively. If the Queen of Morgal had something to tell her about Rief, it was probably bad. Nowell couldn't help but imagine all the dreadful possibilities.

"I'll come," she affirmed.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Kolima Forest, midday**_

"And here we are!" declared Pewter. "Home sweet home."

Just like before, Tyrell and Karis had been led by Pewter into the middle of the Kolima Forest. They stepped on a familiar patch of leaves, and the branch lifted them upward until a large face encrusted in the huge tree's trunk came into view.

"Welcome," spoke Laurel.

"Thank you for having us," Karis replied politely, as a chill went down her spine. The sense of _déjà vu _was getting rather eerie. "What did you wish to speak with us about?"

"Firstly, I must convey my deep gratitude to you for ending the eclipse," said Laurel.

Karis couldn't help but recall that Laurel had started off by thanking them the last time they'd met too. She'd thanked the Adepts for defeating Sludge, before proceeding to pry out the reason they were in the forest, and then warning them that by going forward they could help cause massive destruction. They had gone forward anyways, promising to Laurel that they wouldn't let Alchemy Dynamo be lit. However, they were ultimately manipulated into escorting Ryu Kou through the Belinsk ruins before he did the deed.

_This time, _Karis thought grimly, _by thanking us for ending the Eclipse, she is also reminding us of how we helped start it. _

"Uh, yeah… that," Tyrell mumbled awkwardly.

"Wow," Pewter exclaimed, "you really have the conversation skills of a doorknob!"

"Pewter!" scolded Laurel. "Pewter, please leave this place until my guests have departed. I won't have any more of your nonsense."

Pewter sulkily hopped away and disappeared.

"Perhaps you'd like to tell me why you're passing through?" Laurel prompted.

_She probably already knows why we're here this time too, _Karis suspected.

For a moment, nobody said a word.

"The Tuaparang are holding Amiti prisoner, and we've gotta rescue him!" Tyrell blurted eventually. "They're holding him at a place a bit north from here."

Karis could feel Laurel's disappointment. It was like an unbearable weight being slowly applied on her shoulders, crushing her a little more with each passing second.

"Having lived so much longer than you humans, I try not to be shocked when you fail to see things that are obvious to me," Laurel said. "But still, in my experience, humans aren't known to fall for the same trap twice, especially when the consequences were particularly traumatic the first time."

Unbearable guilt washed over Karis, as images of the Eclipse flashed through her mind.

"But we have no choice!" Tyrell protested defensively.

"Laurel," Karis explained, "we _do_ recognize the possibility of a trap."

"And yet you are going anyways, walking right into the same trap as before, even with the scathing memory of the damage it did," Laurel observed darkly.

"Laurel, words can't express how horrible I feel about that. Please don't be mad at us," Karis begged.

"We were just used, it wasn't our fault!" Tyrell insisted. "We fought against the Tuaparang in the ruins trying to _prevent_ it!"

"I know what happened in the ruins, how Ryu Kou lit the Dynamo while you were fighting. I don't blame you a bit for the Eclipse," Laurel reassured.

"I always blamed myself for it though," Karis confessed. "So many times, I thought 'What if there had been another way to save Eoleo and Hou Ju without entering the Ruins'. Whenever I think of that… I feel horrible."

"Well, as I said before, you did end the Eclipse, and for that I am eternally grateful," spoke Laurel.

"…Thank you," Karis said awkwardly.

"You humans have a funny habit of dwelling on the past," Laurel mused. "Having lived so long, I see how much things can change. Before long, the past doesn't matter a bit. The only purpose for remembering the past is to help one learn from mistakes, in order to avoid repeating them."

Both Karis and Tyrell knew very well what Laurel was implying.

"We expect there is a trap, but we don't have a clue what it could be," Karis said. "If you know anything, it might help us avoid whatever the trap is."

"I know not what specific trap they have laid for you, but I have seen and heard of many peculiar things here lately."

"Please tell us everything you know," Tyrell urged.

"Well, for over a month now, a ship has been hovering in the sky above this forest. It cloaks itself with invisibility, but the birds have confirmed its presence to me. From time to time, smaller airships fly out from it, and human soldiers clad in all black emerge from these."

"That's the Tuaparang!" remarked Tyrell. "They're the ones who masterminded the Eclipse!"

"A blue haired man with a mask sometimes accompanies these soldiers," Laurel continued. "They've been fanning the flames of war between the humans and the beastmen of this realm."

"That's Alex!"

"The Tuaparang started this war?" Karis asked, surprised.

"Actually, the conflict has existed for ages, but it was due to this masked man's work that it has exploded lately. You say his name is Alex?"

"Yeah, he's the same one from 30 years ago who betrayed Imil for Prox," Tyrell replied.

"He also goes by the name Arcanus," said Karis.

"If he was originally from Imil, then that would explain why his aura is similar to Rief's and Mia's," remarked Laurel, "but not why it also resembles Amiti's."

"I remember Tret saying that Amiti's aura resembled Mia's," Karis recalled. "But how can that be? Amiti isn't from Imil, he's the Prince of Ayuthay."

"Maybe you're just sensing that they're all Water Adepts?" Tyrell suggested.

"A human's aura is directly linked to their ancestry," answered Laurel. "It seems the only explanation is that there's something about his lineage that you don't know."

"Well, we don't know who his father is," Tyrell noted.

"Nobody does, it seems," said Karis.

"That's probably the crux of it," Laurel agreed. "His father, whoever he is, must have roots in Imil."

"But who in Imil would find themselves so far away in Ayuthay?" Karis wondered. "Most Imilians never stray far from home."

After an ominous lull in the conversation, Tyrell locked eyes with Karis.

"Alex did," he stated grimly.

"Are you saying he could be Amiti's father?" Karis asked, shocked.

"Well…" Tyrell began. "Amiti's father must've been a strong Water Adept… and he must've traveled around a lot… and he must've had a reason to hide his identity..."

"And all of those hold true for Arcanus," Karis realized. A chill ran down her spine. It was terrifying how much sense it made. _There's even a physical resemblance_.

"But Amiti isn't a _bit _like Alex!" Tyrell swore.

"I think we've gotten ourselves distracted here," said Laurel.

"Right, sorry," Karis said.

"A month or two ago, the ship went southeast once and returned a few days or so later," Laurel resumed. "It left again fairly recently, and hasn't returned yet."

Karis' heart sunk. Had Amiti left with his Tuaparang captors? Had they traveled all this way for naught?

"However, your friend Amiti passed through this forest just after that, heading north," Laurel said. "He was with a female who had the aura of a Venus Adept. The pair seems to match the stories the animals have told me about the pair of adepts, one Mercury and one Venus, who came from an airship."  
_At first glance, _Karis thought, _this seems like good news. _

"So, either the two escaped together, or she's his only guard," voiced Karis. "Either way, it's good for us that the ship is gone."

Even if this adept was fairly powerful and loyal to the Tuaparang, having only her to deal with would be infinitely easier than having a whole airship full of Tuaparang to worry about.

"Yeah," Tyrell agreed. "Now is our chance to find Amiti before that airship returns!"

"While I agree it's safer without the airship here, the risk remains," Laurel warned. "Unlike last time, we haven't a clue what the Tuaparang are planning for you. Do you really want to risk putting your fate in their hands?"

"It's a risk we have to take, because we have to rescue Amiti," Tyrell maintained.

"But," reasoned Laurel, "by doing so, you could potentially endanger not only your own lives, but possibly those of many others. Why are you so driven to save just one person, even with such a risk?"

"Don't put us in the same boat," Karis protested. "_Tyrell_ insisted on going forward despite all the risks, and wouldn't be dissuaded. _I_ figured it would be better for me to accompany him than to let him go alone, to restrain him from doing anything brash."

Tyrell shot a glare at Karis.

"What, you think I would just abandon Amiti while the Tuaparang do horrible things to him?" Tyrell asked incredulously.

"Your loyalty to your friend is admirable," Laurel said, "but I wish you would at least consider the risks for others, including yourself."

"Oh, I've thought about all this actually," Tyrell riposted. "There's a chance we can pull it off without falling into a trap. If we don't even try, he'll surely suffer or even die. Even if there's a risk I'd fall into the trap, I couldn't ever abandon him to that!"

"I wish we could've found a way to avoid choosing between Amiti and the rest of the world," Karis said.

"You humans are such emotional creatures. I would've chosen to avoid the risk to the whole world, and I wouldn't feel same bizarre emotions you have about the matter," Laurel reflected. "It seems that I can't persuade you to turn back."

"I'd never turn back after coming all this way," Tyrell stated.

"In that case, I agree that now is the time to make your move. Amiti and the girl passed through less than a day ago, so they can't be far away. I wish you the best of luck."

The two thanked Laurel and said their farewells before departing, hoping to reach Amiti before sunset.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Tuaparang Ship, late afternoon**_

Arcanus walked over to the window of the airship and looked down at Angara's landscape. The airship was currently passing over a mountain range. Arcanus had plenty of time before they reached Kolima, and just one major piece of business to attend to until then.

He turned to face Rief's unconscious body. It was time to wake him. Arcanus placed his hand where the dart had struck Rief's shoulder before, and beckoned forth his consciousness.

Rief's painfully opened his eyes and looked around.

"Where have you taken me?" he asked groggily.

"You're on the great Tuaparang Airship," Arcanus answered.

"Why? What is it that you want from me?" demanded Rief.

"Obviously, I wouldn't reveal that to you," Arcanus replied, smiling slyly. In truth, he wasn't sure how to answer that question to himself. There were so many different reasons.

It surely didn't hurt his goals to have another adept at his disposal. Furthermore, it had been quite convenient to fetch Rief when he was already in Ayuthay to assassinate King Paithos. It'd certainly made the job more interesting.

Rief glared at him silently.

Arcanus recalled how he had failed to bind Myalkni in the Oath of the Soul. He had gotten so close. The boy had seemed to be agreeing; he'd almost said the words, before saying he "needed to think". When he came back later and refused, for some reason it had been like a sudden blast of wind in Arcanus' face.

Arcanus knew that emotions were for the weak. Accordingly, he always suppressed and ignored his own. This usually succeeded in banishing them, but this time, he felt a cold, persistent emptiness in his chest.

Since so few emotions breached the surface, Arcanus was bad at identifying those that did. After awhile, he decided that this persistent feeling was disappointment at his own failure to secure Myalkni's pledge. He knew he'd bungled it.

Arcanus glanced back out the window, in the direction of Kolima. He knew of how Latakia had "bound" Myalkni in the oath. Or, rather, she had tricked Myalkni into thinking she had. In truth, it was a farce. Latakia's mastery of dark Psynergy had not yet developed to the point where she could oversee an Oath of the Soul. She had led Myalkni to believe that whenever he broke it, his body would erupt into immense pain, but it was actually Latakia inflicting that pain with Psynergy.

Sooner or later, Myalkni would discover that when Latakia wasn't around, the "curse" had no effect. Once that happened, he would become a liability again, and it would be necessary to keep an eye on him.

Arcanus looked back at Rief. This time, he wouldn't mess it up. Arcanus had mastered the boy's mind while it was unconscious and defenseless. He knew exactly what to do. He was going to rectify his failure with Myalkni.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Lake in the northern part of Kolima forest, evening**_

"_The northern base of the highest peak in the land of the white doe"_

That was what the letter had said. That was their destination.

Karis and Tyrell were circumnavigating Talon Peak, which was undoubtedly Morgal's highest point, albeit only because the mountain's base was on an already-elevated plateau. The title didn't really mean much. If not for its famous Roc, it'd be quite unremarkable. Talon Peak was dwarfed by many mountains Karis had seen before, and fairly thin too. After only a few hours, they had already reached its northern side.

Karis knew it would be soon. Soon, the moment of reckoning would come. They would either succeed in rescuing Amiti, or they would find themselves at the Tuaparang's mercy.

It was coming too fast and somehow also too slow, Karis reflected.

It was too fast because Karis was filled with dread for all the possible consequences of failure. Worse, she had no idea what was coming. It was like walking along the edge of a cliff blindfolded- with someone trying to push them off.

And yet, it was also coming too slow. She was getting too much time to think about the coming moment. All this anticipation was slowly driving her insane, she feared. She knew she would need a clear mind to evade whatever trap the Tuaparang were poised to pull.

"Karis!" Tyrell exclaimed. "Look ahead- it's a clearing!"

Myalkni saw them emerge from the trees. It was unmistakable.

He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms. The time had come.

"It's a lake," Tyrell observed.

"It's beautiful," Karis breathed. The scarlet sunset was being reflected on the lake's serene waters.

"Yeah, it could be a painting," Tyrell agreed. "This is definitely the place."

"Are you sure, or is this just a suspicion?"

"Well I _do_ think Alex would choose a place like this… but what gave it away," Tyrell said, pointing downward to the fine gray sand, "is the footsteps."

There were two pairs of footsteps, faded but still visible. It matched perfectly what Laurel had said.

For all of his captivity, the dream of this moment had been Myalkni had to cling to.

Arcanus and Latakia had extinguished his resistance and all his hopes for escape.

This small flame, standing alone in the black abyss, had been the only one they failed to smite.

"Speaking of things that could be in paintings," Karis gasped, "is that a person chained to that rock over there?"

"Is that him?" they both asked simultaneously, sharing a glance.

They took off toward Amiti's chained body.

And yet, now, that same flame's light brought Myalkni dread, not hope.

It threatened to burn him- or worse, its light could expose him.

He could neither run nor hide.

Amiti was clothed by a robe of swan feathers beneath the mass of chains, his crown adorned with the full regalia of Ayuthay's prince. It really did look like a work of art. Karis could easily imagine it in royal halls. It'd be titled something like _The Agony of the Swan Prince, _and its painter would probably be famous for his _peculiar_ tastes. The great Arcanus' works could be done by no other.

It sickened her.

Myalkni had to bite his lip to stop himself from warning them to stay away. He knew he couldn't do that.

He hadn't cried in ages, but now his eyes threatened to deepen the lake by an inch or two if the floodgate opened.

That gate wasn't his to control. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Before he knew it, his head was shaking frantically back and forth as his lips mouthed the words "Get away!"

_The perfect painting is tarnished though,_ Karis thought, _by those two unsymmetrical sets of footsteps._

_Wait a minute…they left the footsteps!_

Karis looked at the sand in horror. The girl was an Earth Adept. If they had been fleeing together, she would've erased them all to avoid getting caught.

The only reason the footsteps were still there was to guide them right into a trap. One source was chained to a rock while the other while the other was conspicuously invisible. And yet, like a lamb for slaughter, she had just followed the footsteps. Why had she followed them?

_Oh, who am I kidding, _Karis thought, _I've been being led into this trap ever since I left Belinsk._

She tried to warn Tyrell of the ambush, but she was drowned out by an earsplitting scream.

Myalkni had immediately realized what he'd done, but immediately wasn't soon enough. He writhed and screamed as the curse plunged him into the boiling pit of torment.

_I must look pathetic beyond belief here. My screams are the worst sound ever heard, and my face the worst sight ever seen. I know I evoke nothing but pity and disgust._

_This isn't just any disgusting person screaming pathetically, it's _me. I'm _that person._ Myalkni hated that fact so much.

"Hold on Amiti, you'll be out of there in no time!" Tyrell called before sprinting across the remaining distance.

Karis had to stop herself from chasing after Tyrell. She stood back, and drew her bow. That was the best thing she could do. At least this way she might be able to intercept anything that assailed him.

As Tyrell gripped the black chains that bound Amiti, he peered into the boy's eyes. They were so beautiful, yet so sad.

Tyrell wanted- he wanted so desperately- to be able to be happy in this moment. He had come so far. He wanted to be happy because he didn't want to acknowledge the reasons not to be happy. He didn't want to acknowledge the likely possibility that he'd come all this way to fall into a trap.

Tyrell wanted Amiti to be happy in this moment, but tears continued streaming down the boy's face. Tyrell couldn't admit it, but deep down he knew very well that Amiti's lack of joy quite likely implied the presence of a trap. He dreaded that.

Tyrell easily pulled off the chains, which were oddly cold to the touch. It was disturbingly hard to imagine that they could have actually restrained Amiti. And why were they so cold?

"Amiti, you're free…" Tyrell said weakly, desperately hoping for his fears to be assuaged. "Why are you still so sad?"

_Have I been wrong all this time? _Tyrell wondered, his mind itching terribly with the fear.

Myalkni choked on his words. He wanted this moment to be over as fast as possible, but it seemed to drag on forever.

"I'm …sorry, Tyrell," he managed to push out. "I'm…so… very sorry."

"What...?" Tyrell asked fearfully. "For wha-"

Before Tyrell could finish, the chains flew into the air and pounced on him. They took him by surprise, nailing him to the ground.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Next Chapter: The Cage**_

_***Please take a few seconds to review if you have something to say. I'd really appreciate it :). **_


	14. Chapter 14: The Cage

**CHAPTER 14: THE CAGE****  
****_~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~_**

_**Shore of a lake in Northeast Morgal**_

A panic overtook Karis' mind. What was going on? Why were there chains suddenly upon Tyrell?

Suddenly, Karis felt herself being seized by a huge, green vine. She was lifted off the ground and pulled backwards, before being mummified by a mass of similar vines. All of her body except her head was wrapped. She was unable to move an inch, no matter how hard she tried.

In front of her, a heap of sand rose into the air and materialized into a young woman. _This is the Venus Adept that Laurel mentioned, _Karis realized. Believing that by staying back, she would be safe from the trap, Karis had played perfectly into this adept's hands.

"Just behind you are the open jaws of a _hungry _plant," the girl warned coyly.

Karis heard a bizarre whimper-like sound from behind her.

"My friend here would like to chomp on your head," the Earth Adept explained, almost apologetically. "It thinks you look _particularly _delicious."

"Don't worry- I won't let it," she continued, "unless, of course, you resist too much."

"Who are you?!" Tyrell snarled as he thrashed against the chains binding him.

"My name is Latakia," the girl replied. "It's so nice to meet you."

"What do you want from us?" Karis demanded. "Why have you ensnared us?"

"Oh, I feel no need to tell you why," Latakia retorted, "and it wasn't I who chained your redheaded friend."

"What do you mean?" Karis asked. "Are those chains cursed?"

Latakia gestured to Amiti. "Perhaps you would like to explain?"  
"…There's… no curse, none at all," Amiti stammered miserably.

"Oh, please elaborate," Latakia said. "You know what happens when you don't do what I say."

Myalkni cringed, clenching his robes.

"The chains … are actually made of ice and black dirt…" Myalkni choked. He stared out into the lake, unable to face anyone.

"And what else?" pressed Latakia.

"And… I control them," Myalkni vomited.

Latakia grinned evilly. "I think he needs to get a taste of what the consequences are for all that squirming." She cracked a knuckle before exploding Tyrell's senses.

As Myalkni glumly observed Tyrell's agony, he burned with hatred for Latakia. There was nothing else in the world he hated more than her… except, of course, himself.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Belinsk**_

After Nowell told the palace guards her purpose, she had been referred to a lupine beastman courtier whose name was apparently Maklir. Tall and sandy-haired, he looked like a more mature version of Zarelgy.

After she told Maklir that the queen had requested her presence, and he disappeared to inform the Queen. He had said he'd return "right away". Nowell could swear it had been at least an hour.

The couch upon which Maklir had instructed Nowell to wait was red and very soft. Normally, she would be able to fall asleep on a couch like this in an instant, but she couldn't relax a bit.

She looked around the room. Most of the buildings Nowell had been in throughout her life were made of either wood or brick and were quite simple in design. This one was built of polished granite and marble. Practically everything inside was quite ornate and seemed to be gold or silver. It was beautiful, but its beauty was unfriendly, imposing, haughty… even oppressive.

From a very early age, Nowell had understood that buildings like this commanded respect. She remembered little of the land where she had lived as an infant, but Imil had only one comparable building- the Mercury Lighthouse. Almost everyone was forbidden from even entering that place. Everyone knew and respected the building's power.

While the Mercury Lighthouse gave off a sense of ancient power, this place felt more new, with glittering ore everywhere. The ruling Czamaral dynasty must've been bent on flaunting their wealth, she thought. Inside the palace, one could never forget that they ruled one of Angara's largest and materially richest entities. Despite countless devastating wars and the Eclipse, this palace, the embodiment of Czamaral prestige and Morgal's power, still stood strong and beautiful as ever.

_And the queen of this land wishes to speak to me, _Nowell reflected apprehensively. _What in the world could this queen want of me? What does she know about my brother?_

Finally, Maklir emerged from the door. "The Queen is ready for you," he beckoned. Wordlessly, Nowell rose.

"I'm very sorry for the delay. Her Majesty has been quite busy," Maklir apologized, as he led her to a room behind the throne chamber.

Nowell couldn't help but feel the stares of the queen's advisors as she walked. Clearly, they were baffled by this foreign, commoner, _human _girl was getting a private meeting with their queen. _Screw them and all their snooty robes._

Eventually, Maklir left Nowell in a smallish room, where she found the Morgal's "White Deer" sitting in a chair, looking right at her.

Nowell had expected the queen to be tall, haughty, strikingly beautiful... regal. Sveta Czamaral was none of these things. She was quite short, especially for a beastwoman, let alone a royal one. Her round face was much more girlish than elegant. Her fur coat and chair both looked exquisitely soft, but she didn't seem very comfortable in either. The coat didn't really seem to fit her. _It must have originally been her deceased brother's, _Nowell realized. Instead of a commanding queen, Sveta looked like a nice girl who just happened to also rule a country.

In a much smaller chair to Sveta's side sat Matthew, Nowell noted with surprise.

"Thank you for coming," greeted Sveta stiffly. Nowell had always imagined that rulers _that rulers were aloof, and that their expressions betrayed nothing, but this certainly wasn't true for Sveta__._ It was easy to tell that something was weighing heavily on her mind.

"Hello Nowell," Matthew said, "again."

"What do you know about my brother?" Nowell asked, unable to wait another second.

The Queen didn't say a word. Nowell immediately realized how abrupt she had been, in the presence of _royalty. _The Queen was probably taken aback.

Nowell threw herself on the floor. "Please forgive my insolence, your Majesty!" she pled, feeling very unlike herself.

"Please stop that," the queen said. "I can't stand when people grovel. I may be Queen, but I'm not a deity."

Nowell rose immediately.

"You don't need to apologize, I didn't take any offense," Sveta assured. "I know you are merely worried about your brother, whom you promised to protect."

At first, Nowell was immensely relieved. Then she was perturbed. How did Sveta know of her promise to her mother? She knew she hadn't told Matthew.

"I can read your mind," answered Sveta.

_Oh right, she's an adept, _Nowell remembered, recalling that she had accompanied Matthew to the Apollo Sanctum.

"That must be quite useful for a Queen," Nowell remarked, in an effort to diminish the sense of awkwardness that pervaded the room.

"Oh, you might think that, but it's not," replied Sveta. "I can see all my subordinates' treacherous intentions and dark agendas… but I have no choice but to rely on them anyways, for I'm a hopeless klutz at politics."

"We have many things to talk about," Sveta said, "but I know you're anxious to hear about your brother, so why don't we get straight to that?"

Nowell nodded. "What do you know?"

"Well, Rief left Belinsk after my coronation, on a boat with Kraden, Amiti, Eoleo and Himi. He was in Ayuthay during the time of Prince Amiti's disappearance."

"What disappearance?" Nowell inquired.

"I see you don't know about that," observed Sveta, before filling her in on everything.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Lake**_

Grounded by the chains, Tyrell thrashed back and forth, as if he could somehow escape the agony Latakia was inflicting upon him.

Myalkni couldn't bear to look into Tyrell's eyes, and yet somehow at the same time, he couldn't resist.

In Tyrell's eyes, Myalkni could see a deep sense of pain and loss. _He came all this way to save me, _Myalkni thought darkly, _and I just betrayed him. _

_But I had no choice, _Myalkni tried to protest to himself. He knew it wasn't true though. He could've refused to go forward with the plan and not flung the chains onto Tyrell. Then, it would be him on the ground in agony instead of Tyrell.

A decent person would've chosen that. _But I'm not a decent person, _Myalkni thought bitterly. _I chose to dump the pain onto Tyrell._

Myalkni knew that if he had refused Latakia, Tyrell and Karis might have escaped the trap. They would have outnumbered Latakia, who would have already been drained of Psynergy for punishing Myalkni's theoretical revolt. He had known this before they came.

And yet, Latakia's impending punishment had just been too unbearable.

Tyrell was enduring the pain, Myalkni saw. He exhaled and gasped loudly and painfully, but he never screamed. Myalkni wished he would, because then Myalkni would feel better about himself.

_When Latakia defeated me in the forest, _Myalkni remembered, _I thought I'd be dead, because my conscience would expire. _

In a way, it had been true. His conscience and his identity continued to live on in his mind, but in reality they had no effect on his actions. Life had indeed become empty. Nothing had seemed to matter anymore. Even the guilt about burning the caravan had retreated to the background. There was nothing to happy or sad about. All that was left to life was his survival instincts- avoiding pain and avoiding death.

And yet, Myalkni now knew that this notion of "living death" wasn't totally correct in the end. He knew he had dreamt of being rescued, meaning that even as his body was perfectly enslaved, his mind still yearned for freedom. He wasn't just an automaton. There _was _actually something keeping him alive besides fear of death.

And, Myalkni realized, the survival instinct wasn't even the only reason he had betrayed Tyrell. There was something else there.

_Even if Karis and Tyrell could defeat Latakia, I knew I could never escape her because of the curse, _Myalkni realized. _That meant there were two possible outcomes: either I alone am caged, or we are caged together. _

And for some reason, deep down Myalkni detected a profound preference for the second outcome. _I was lonely. I didn't want to suffer alone._

_I really am the lowest form of humanity, _Myalkni remarked glumly.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Tuaparang Ship**_

"So, how's your mother doing nowadays?" Arcanus asked Rief in an unnervingly casual manner. "It's been awhile since I heard anything about her."

"Why… in the world do you care?" Rief grumbled, his eyes blazing with hatred toward his captor. _Such a confused, such an emotional boy, _Arcanus thought. Emotion brings weakness. This would be a cakewalk.

"Well, she is my second cousin after all," Arcanus replied. "I was just curious. Perhaps I should pay her a visit."

"You stay far, far away from her!" Rief snarled.

"Oh, quite protective, aren't you?" Arcanus taunted. "You wouldn't let me lay a finger on her, would you?"

Arcanus clasped his hands together behind his back, summoning the candle-bearing spirits that served as witnesses to the Oath.

"I'd _die _before I let anyone harm her!"

"And what about other kin, like your sister?"

"It'd be no different!" Rief shot back, angry and confused over being interrogated this way. It felt simultaneously corny and disturbing.

"And I bet you'd die before letting any harm befall them, and you'd never ever betray them, right?"

"Of course!" Rief exclaimed. "Why are you asking me these things?"

Arcanus didn't need to answer that. Instead, he released his hands behind his back, sealing the curse. Rief cried out in shock as the candle-bearing ghosts suddenly flew into his body, causing a flash of pain as the Oath was imprinted on his soul.

As always, there was a catch. The Oath needed an item to seal itself on, and often a suitable choice was hard to find. Clothes came and went with the day, while equipment could be replaced in the future. Thus, Arcanus opted to seal the Oath on Ice Queen's stone, which Rief couldn't replace.

"What did you just do to me?!" Rief demanded.

"You did it to yourself," Arcanus replied. "You just swore you'd die if you ever let harm come to your immediate family members, or if you ever betray them. I only brought in some friends to hear witness it."

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Belinsk**_

"So… you said Ayuthay, where Rief was, became really unstable?" Nowell asked. "Did anything… you know, blow up there?"

"Well, we've received word that some time after Amiti disappeared, King Paithos was assassinated in his bath tub," Sveta replied. "After that, things quickly got really nasty, because it looked like an inside job. Various different factions in the country blamed each other. There was a coup and a counter-coup and it's descending into civil war."

"Did Rief get caught up in all this?" Nowell asked, as a dark cloud of foreboding gathered over her mind.

"Well, we've received got another letter from Ayuthay that may answer your questions," offered Sveta, passing a letter to Nowell.

It was from Kraden. Nowell's heart pounded as she read about how Alex had broken into the inn where they were staying, killed the owner and a number of guests, and kidnapped Rief.

"Kraden was in jail while he wrote that letter," explained Sveta. "It seems that the locals blamed him for the tragedy because he was a foreigner."

"We sent a notice to Prince Chafko urging him to free Kraden," Matthew added.

"But, why?" Nowell demanded. "Why would Alex want to kidnap Rief and Ayuthay's Prince?"

"We don't know," replied Matthew. "It could be that he intends to use them both for something, they're both Mercury Adepts… but that's just guessing."

"Umm… thanks a lot for telling me all this," Nowell said. She had to rescue Rief from Alex's clutches, but she had no idea how or where he was.

"Kraden suspected that Rief would ultimately be taken to the same place as Amiti was," Sveta noted. "Based on what we already know, that would seem to be a lake in Northeast Morgal."

"Weren't Karis and Tyrell going to rescue Amiti?" Nowell asked. "What's the status of that?"

Sveta gestured to Matthew.

"My Echo Gem can tell me roughly where Karis is, because she has its pair," Matthew explained. "The last I checked, they were near Talon Peak…"

"The month you said you'd wait to pass before you went after them has passed, hasn't it?" Nowell noted, recalling their previous conversation.

Matthew nodded.

"Matthew and I have decided that he will travel by ship to the Northeast fringe," stated Sveta. "If the two got ensnared in a trap, he'll try to rescue them. If not, he can transport them out of the area by boat, so they don't have to pass through the warzone again."

"I don't know how to man a boat," said Matthew, "but Piers taught you, didn't he?"

_This is why she summoned me, _Nowell realized_. Given the situation, Sveta doesn't want to use anyone from the navy, or any beastman for that matter, because of the war. Then, suddenly, I enter the equation and everything can work out._

"I can definitely man the boat," she said.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Tuaparang Ship**_

At first Rief looked relieved. He'd made a binding oath, but it was only to protect immediate family members. What could be bad about that? It didn't seem dangerous at all to him. Then he realized that something must be was wrong.

"You've tricked me somehow, I know you have. What have you done?" Rief demanded fearfully.

"Are you sure you know all of your immediate family members?" Arcanus asked slyly.

"…I never knew my father," Rief stated.

"Ever wondered? It could be quite interesting."

"Why in the world would you have the right to care who my father is?" Rief demanded angrily.

"Because, Rief, _I AM _your father!" Arcanus declared.

"No…No, no!" Rief cried, deathly afraid it could be true. "That can't be! My mother hates you!"

"Oh yes, it is," said Arcanus triumphantly. "And why do you think she hates me so much? Because I left her."

"No…"

"It was more than 30 years ago," Arcanus recalled, "I left her because I had better things to do in life than be bored to death by her and Imil. She found someone else, but she never stopped missing me."

"No!" Rief cried, as his eyes began to tear up. "It can't be!"

"Then, one night, when I returned to her, she couldn't resist me…"

"Stop it!" yelled Rief. "Stop lying! It can't be you!"

"…and she bore me a son. You."

"This is all a big lie!" Rief insisted, tears streaming down his face. "You can't be my father!"

"Oh yes, I am," Arcanus replied. "And we're actually quite similar, the two of us, aren't we? Just like me, you were never satisfied with the insular life of Imil. You always wanted to see the world, didn't you…?"

"I'm not anything like you!" Rief protested, shaking his head hysterically.

"Deep down, you know it's true," Arcanus said. "That's why you're so afraid of it."

"No… stop lying, stop it!" Rief shouted, as he began to claw the ground, his hands frantically searching for something to grasp. "It's not true!"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Arcanus taunted. "As your immediate family member, I command you to come over here and give me a hug. If you don't, I'll give myself a little scratch. If y0u try to disobey, the spirits will warn you before they kill you."

For a second, Rief lay still, before gasping as his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. The spirits had spoken. "Nooooo!" Rief cried.

Defeated, Rief grudgingly made his way over to Arcanus and resigned himself to his poisonous embrace. He had no choice- he didn't want to die. He mouthed the word "no" over and over again as he pressed his face into Arcanus' chest.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Lake **_

Gusts of wind raced across Karis' face as she watched the formidable Tuaparang airship descend toward her. Waves rocked the once-tranquil lake surface, and leaves were flying around everywhere. Whole trees had been stripped bare by the winds generated by the airship.

At the same time, the airship made no sound. The silence was much more terrifying, more ominous than any blaring noise could've been.

"Airship" didn't really capture the essence of the jet black structure, Karis thought. It was more like a sort of "sky-castle." Even that, though, didn't do justice to its great jets and propellers. No, at this moment, only one word could describe the behemoth: "doom."

As the doom descended upon Karis, she reflected that another one of her promises to Sveta would soon be broken. She'd already failed to keep the mission a secret and failed to avoid involvement in the conflict. Now, she'd be loaded as living cargo onto this behemoth ship and taken out of Morgal. Knowing that the Grave Eclipse had followed last time she broke a promise like this, Karis could only dread what was coming this time.

There was a brief exchange between Amiti and that carnivorous plant girl, Latakia, before the two walked away towards the site where the black behemoth was landing, which was considerable distance along the shore. Both Tyrell and Karis were thus left unguarded, but neither of them made much effort to escape their binds. They both knew it was over.

_How could I not have known? _Karis grilled herself. But, of course, she _had _known, she knew. And that made it so much worse. She had failed to avert it. Alex had probably savored making Amiti, the hostage, spring the trap that snared his would-be rescuers. This was more of his sick "art". He'd played them well.

Despair wrapped itself around her, constricting her like a snake_- or perhaps the vines of a man-eating plant. _

"Karis," Tyrell hissed, "it's not over yet."

"What do you mean?" Karis whispered back.

"Mark my word," Tyrell vowed, "we will escape. Don't give up."

For the first time in awhile, Karis was immensely grateful for Tyrell's presence.

"And whatever you do, make sure they don't take your Echo Gem."

_Oh right, _Karis thought, _Matthew will come for us. _

"You can tell where he is with that, right? We should make our escape when he's near, so he can cover us."

Karis nodded her assent.

"It's not over yet," Tyrell repeated, with determined conviction.

-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-

_**Next Chapter: The Cavern**_

_**Author's Notes:**_

_*I will probably be quite busy for the next 7 weeks, so don't expect the next chapter to come out before then. _

_*For those wondering how much longer this story will go on: I'm thinking a few more chapters, perhaps three or four, and then a short epilogue. I already know everything that will happen, and almost everything people will say, I just have to get it written. And let me tell you, it's the best part :).___

_***Taking a minute to tell me what you think in a review really goes a long way :). Comments, constructive criticism, predictions, whatever, its all good. **_

_**The only thing that's not good for reviews is spoiling what we just learned about Rief- it's okay to imply it (ex "What happened with Rief shocked me" for example, is okay, just don't explicitly state it). **_

_*I considered withholding that revelation until much later, but ultimately decided against it, thinking it might make things confusing_


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